The Journey
by Mary Anne Gruen
Summary: COMPLETE Book length, AU taking place immediately after Wrecked, using spoilers. S&B and the rest of the S6 gang continue their journey toward growing up.
1. Chapter One - The Diamond of Gunab

THE JOURNEY  
  
  
  
Author: Mary Anne Gruen  
  
Email: MaryAGruen@aol.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned within this story. This writing is only for the personal pleasure of myself and other fans as we wait impatiently for the re-run season to end and the real owners of the characters to televise new stories.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Content: B/S and the rest of the S6 gang  
  
Spoilers: Takes place after "Wrecked." Giles has gone and won't be back until the final excitement. Warning: Many spoilers have been used in the writing of this fanfic. I just picked out some I thought would be interesting to play around with.  
  
Summary: At the start of this Buffy is still in denial-land. It goes forward as the next cluster of episodes might.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
The Diamond of Gunab  
  
  
  
Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew were entirely wrapped up in the final preparations for their new weapon. Once again because of some pesky allergies, Warren was doing most of the actual work. And he was getting kinda tired of it. But at the same time, he loved handling the beautiful diamond they'd stolen. Of course, it was no ordinary diamond. The Triad would never have stolen an ordinary diamond, no matter how great its value. It was called the Diamond of Gunab. And it was named after the African Hottentot god of evil.  
  
Jonathan and Andrew moved impatiently behind Warren.  
  
"So, are you like done yet?" Andrew whined.  
  
"Yeah, it's taking too long," Jonathan agreed.  
  
"Just a minute," Warren said. He had a pair of thick lenses on over his eyes so he could see the tiny little chip he was fitting into place more clearly. "Things have to be balanced just right."  
  
"It'd go faster if you didn't use tweezers?" Andrew said. He was leaning against Warren now in his eagerness to have everything finished.  
  
"Will you stop it," Warren grumbled. "I can't do it if you keep bumping into me."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"And stop breathing so hard. This chip is supposed to be kept sterile."  
  
"What? I'm not even supposed to breath now?"  
  
Jonathan shoved Andrew back and clamped his hand over his mouth. "Shh. You keep this up and he'll never be finished."  
  
At long last Warren pulled back from his work and triumphantly removed his magnifying lenses. "Ah! There we have it, gentlemen!" He picked up his latest technical masterpiece and held it out for his partners to see, letting the fluorescent lights of his basement shine over the silvery metal. "Behold! Our new fire ray gun!"  
  
"Oooh," Andrew said, "put the diamond in, put the diamond in!"  
  
"I'll do it," Jonathan said, reaching for the large white diamond sitting on a piece of black cloth just to Warren's left side.  
  
"No!" Warren said, pushing him away. "It's my ray gun. I made it. I get to put in the final part."  
  
Jonathan's lower lip pulled down into a pout. "You never let anyone else handle the diamond anymore."  
  
Warren picked up the dazzling stone. Its cool weight felt good in his hand. "You might drop it and hurt it."  
  
"Uh, dude, like it's a diamond. You'd have to do some serious mega dropping to make it break."  
  
"But it's a precious piece and needs to be handled just the right way."  
  
Jonathan and Andrew exchanged disgruntled looks.  
  
Warren fell silent again as he slipped the diamond into place at the front of the gun. Then he sighed deeply. "There it is. The fabled Diamond of Gunab. Capable of absorbing the powerful rays of the sun and transforming them into fire-like energy. Guaranteed to torch any structure we point it at and totally turn it into ashes in minutes . . . that is, of course, unless we get paid a sufficient amount of money. All we have to do now is put it outside in my mom's yard so it can catch the morning sun as it comes up." 


	2. Chapter Two - Fitful Dreams

CHAPTER TWO  
  
Fitful Dreams  
  
Buffy was sitting up in her bed in pretty much the same position she'd started in at the beginning of the night. She was still dressed in the same clothes, clutching her wooden cross in her hand. But her hand had drifted down to her side and her head had fallen back as she nodded off into a short fitful sleep. She imagined herself once again in the basement of the wrecked building from the other night. She and Spike were ravaging each other, tearing off their clothing, and moving over one another in a passionate frenzy. Her breathing grew heavier as her excitement built and she wrapped herself around him more tightly. When all of a sudden there was a knock on the door.  
  
"What? . . . What is it?" Buffy said, sitting up sharply, her right hand springing into readiness with the cross.  
  
"Buffy?" It was Dawn, calling to her from the other side of her door. "Are you getting up soon? I need help getting washed and dressed. You know. It's kinda hard doing certain stuff with my arm all done up like this."  
  
"Uh . . ." Buffy looked around her and noticed for the first time that the sun was climbing in through her windows. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a minute."  
  
Dawn paused. Her sister sounded strange. She instinctively reached for the handle of the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. "You OK in there, Buffy?" she asked, concern sounding in her voice.  
  
"Yeah. Fine."  
  
There was a pause again. Then Dawn padded off down the hallway back to her room.  
  
Buffy told herself she had to get up. Of course Dawn needed her. Her little sister's arm was all done up in a cast because of the fracture she'd received the night before while trying to get away from that demon Willow had conjured. Buffy had to get up and do her job. Be a good sister. She'd promised Mom she'd take care of Dawn.  
  
She looked at herself in the mirror and knew she had to at least change her shirt. The black was accentuating the bags under her eyes and advertising to the world that she hadn't had much sleep in the last two days. Pink seemed to be a better color. Then she brushed her hair into something vaguely resembling neatness. While looking in the mirror, her eyes caught sight of the long strands of garlic hanging by the windows. She really needed put those away. Dawn might see them and ask questions. The closet was the easiest place to stow them. And the cross?  
  
Buffy stood examining the wooden cross. There was a dent in one side of it. She couldn't remember how it had come to be there. She'd had it a long time. It was one of the tools of her trade.  
  
Once again she saw the sneer on Spike's face from the other night and heard him saying, "You came back wrong." Wrong. Well she was still right enough to be able to handle a cross. But was he correct? Had she come back wrong somehow? Was that why she'd had such a hard time feeling lately? And now why she seemed to be feeling too much? Was that why she felt this strong pull towards Spike? Buffy ran her fingers over the rough wood of the cross once more before slipping it into her handbag.  
  
Dawn was waiting for her in the bathroom. She'd bathed herself as best she could and was now trying to make sense out of her hair. Wordlessly, Buffy brushed her hair back and caught the stray ends in a comb. It should have been a soothing action full of sisterly concern. But somehow it wasn't. Somehow Buffy didn't seem to be there.  
  
Dawn watched her in the mirror. "Buffy, are you all right?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah. Fine."  
  
"You're not mad at me or anything?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. Cos I so had nothing to do with what happened last night."  
  
"I know. Have you decided what you're going to wear?"  
  
"Sure. Just jeans and a loose top."  
  
Buffy nodded, fading back into wordless mode. She helped Dawn get dressed and then she announced that she was going downstairs to make breakfast.  
  
"Just gotta grab a couple of school books and I'll be down," Dawn said. "Good thing we're heading toward winter break. So I don't have much to carry."  
  
"Uh huh," Buffy answered. She faded out into the hallway, stopping briefly to glance at Willow's door. It was still closed. She was sleeping late. That was good. She only wished she'd been able to do as much for herself. By the time Dawn came down to breakfast, Buffy had made up her mind about what she had to do next. "I'm afraid we've only got cold cereal," Buffy told her younger sibling.  
  
"We really gotta go shopping," Dawn said, sniffing at the carton of milk on the counter table. "It's not that I mind cereal. But the milk is kinda outta date. If it gets any older, it'll turn to cheese." She put it back down with a thunk and grazed on a couple of dry flakes. The cereal tasted stale and cardboardy. It stuck in between her teeth and refused to head down into her throat. She hoped she had enough change for the school vending machines. "You know," she said as she crunched, "your room smells real funky. Like you spent the whole night eating pizza in it or something."  
  
"I'll air it out . . . When I get back. Dawn. I need to go away for a couple of days. On one of those slayer quests."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Like the one Giles took me on last year."  
  
Dawn's face screwed up. "No!"  
  
"It'll only be a couple of days."  
  
"I said, no! I'm not staying here alone with Willow."  
  
"Look, Willow feels really sorry about what happened last night. I'm sure it'll be all right."  
  
"No!"  
  
"You'll still have Anya, Xander, and Tara if you need anything. Maybe Tara might be willing to stay over."  
  
Dawn softened a bit. "No Tara wouldn't do it. She'd feel funny being around Willow. But I could ask Spike."  
  
Now it was Buffy's turn. "No!" she said, much too emphatically.  
  
Dawn's eyebrows skittered up her forehead.  
  
"I don't like Spike spending so much time around here," Buffy said. "He needs to get on with his life . . . or his death . . . or whatever."  
  
"But you didn't mind him taking me to the hospital last night to have my arm set."  
  
"That was different. I needed to talk to Willow."  
  
"And NOW you need to leave for two days."  
  
"Yes. It's important slayer stuff. Now, you go off to school. I'll call Tara and ask her to meet me at the Magic Shop. I'm sure she won't mind if you stay with her while I'm gone."  
  
Dawn clicked her tongue and made a face. Then she flipped her long hair back with her good hand and sauntered out of the kitchen. The front door slammed a few seconds later.  
  
"Teenagers," Buffy said under her breath. 


	3. Chapter Three - Who's in Denial?

CHAPTER THREE  
  
Who's in Denial?  
  
  
  
"And so, Dawn's not real happy about it," Buffy explained to her friends some time later at the Magic Box. Tara, Anya, and Xander were all sitting opposite her at the round table near the rear of the shop. "But I've got some questions I need answered. And now with Giles gone, I don't know any other way of getting them answered."  
  
"Are you sure you can get the Guide to come without Giles help?" Tara asked.  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"I'll be glad to have Dawn stay with me while you're gone," Tara said. "But I've gotta ask, why isn't Willow taking care of her?"  
  
"Well . . . you know," Buffy said, "Willow's going through some things right now with magic. We all just have to be patient with her. Give her a little space. Besides . . ."  
  
It was at that moment that the back door to the shop slammed open, the one leading in from the alley. It was Spike. His jaw was set and his duster was flying out behind him. He was a man on a mission.  
  
Buffy's eyes grew wide when she saw him. With her right hand she reached down for her handbag and pulled it up into her lap. She could feel the comforting shape of the wooden cross through the black leather.  
  
"So!" Spike said coming to a dramatic halt. He glanced at Buffy first and then around at others. "Did you tell them about last night yet?"  
  
All the blood drained out of Buffy's face. "This is a private discussion," she sputtered.  
  
"Well, it's my business too. It became my bloody business when I bloody well had to take Dawn to the hospital."  
  
His words had an immediate effect on the Scoobies. Dawn? . . . Hospital?  
  
"What happened?" Xander asked.  
  
"Is she all right?" Tara asked.  
  
Spike looked at Buffy pointedly. "Do you wanna tell 'em, Slayer? Or should I?"  
  
Buffy dashed her handbag to the floor. How dare Spike make an entrance like that? And who did he think he was with that demanding tone? He'd gotten everybody all excited and she'd been hoping to ease into the subject gently. "Willow took Dawn with her last night when she went to see this warlock . . ." Buffy began. She tried to tell the story as sympathetically to Willow as possible. But it still sounded bad. Every now and again Spike would interrupt with his version of things. "Willow was basically just out of her mind," Buffy said at last. "She was out of control. But she promises it will never happen again. It's over!"  
  
Spike snorted and threw himself in a chair next to Buffy. "It's not so easy as that. Rack's into pretty strong stuff. It's gonna be hard for her to walk away."  
  
"Yes," Anya agreed, "I've heard of his kind. Purveyors of magic that hand out magic highs. There's always some price attached to it. It sounds like things have really gotten out of hand for Willow. We can't just ignore what happened last night."  
  
Spike tapped his left hand on the table. "Dawn told Willow turned Amy back into a human a couple of days ago. And that the two of 'em have been hanging around together ever since. They stayed out all night, the night before."  
  
"So? What does that prove?" Buffy asked snippily. "I was out all night then too . . . Fighting a demon."  
  
Spike knew she was talking about their tryst. He'd been the demon she'd been fighting . . . and shagging. But he refused to rise to the bait. Instead he merely raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Well, I won't ask how that fight turned out, luv. But while you were doing what you were doing, Willow and Amy were performing a lot of flashy magic stuff at the Bronze. Seems after that whole thing with the singing and dancing demon, the owners of the Bronze thought they needed extra protection. So they hired these two Galera demons to act as bouncers for the trouble making non-human clientele."  
  
"Galera demons?" Anya said with disgust. "Eeww."  
  
"Yeah, they're not much for looks, with their slimy skin and their great big orb eyes. But their skinny bodies are strong and they can move quickly in and out of the shadows. Since the dancing demon left, they've been keeping eye both inside and outside at the Bronze. They know who you are, Slayer. In fact, they send you their best. And they know who I am too. They don't miss anything, even in the dark corners . . . Or under the stairs . . ." Spike let his voice trail off provocatively, his eyes glinting at Buffy.  
  
Buffy looked at him questioningly for a moment. Then she got it. Spike was saying these demons had seen them kissing on the evening that Giles left. Did that mean the whole demon world of Sunnydale now thought they were a couple? Her eyes widened till they were almost as large as a Galera demon's.  
  
Spike smirked at her expression and then quickly turned to Xander at his right. "Willow and Amy were at the Bronze doing all kinds of magic. Some pretty wild stuff, from what I hear. The Galera demons were afraid to interfere after it started up. But they put Willow and her rat friend on their black list. It'll be a cold day in the hellmouth before they're allowed in there anymore."  
  
"That's bad," Xander said.  
  
"Do we know how she meet this Rack?" Anya asked.  
  
"I went off on my own to ask around after Buffy and Dawn went home last night. That's how I found out about all this. Seems Willow's friend Amy was involved with Rack before she became a rat."  
  
"So, you think Amy hooked Willow up with this warlock guy just yesterday?" Xander asked.  
  
"Seems like."  
  
"That means he can't have too much power over her yet," Anya said.  
  
"Well, at least that's something," Xander said.  
  
"I say Red needs a good talking to," Spike said.  
  
"An intervention?" Anya said.  
  
"I just can't believe she let things go this far." Xander shook his head and looked down at the floor. "Letting Dawn get hurt like that. It's a real sign of trouble."  
  
"She's handling it," Buffy said.  
  
"Maybe," Xander said. "But we should have a talk with her. You know, try to make it loving and all, but firm. I also think you should put off this slayer quest of yours."  
  
"What that?" Spike asked.  
  
"Buffy wants to go on a slayer quest. You know, like she did last year with Giles. She's got all these questions about her return from the dead."  
  
Spike knew better then the rest of them what Buffy's questions were about. "Look," he said, leaning forward toward Buffy, his voice softening, "Slayer, I'm all for you finding yourself. Really. But I agree with Harris here. This is a bad time."  
  
"I'm not interested in your opinion," Buffy said sharply.  
  
"You can't leave Dawn alone with Willow," Spike returned. "They both need looking after."  
  
"Dawn's going to stay with me while Buffy's away," Tara said.  
  
"Yeah, and Anya and I can keep an eye on Willow," Xander said.  
  
"Got to say I'm still against it," Spike said, shifting way back in his chair. "But I can help Tara look after Dawn."  
  
"No!" Buffy said, a bit too loudly. "I don't want you involved."  
  
All the Scoobies turned to look at Buffy.  
  
"That's all right," Tara said, "I'll be glad for the extra help."  
  
"Well, actually," Xander said, "With Buffy out of town, Anya and I could really use Spike on patrol."  
  
"We've got lots of pointy weapons," Anya said. "But we could use your vampire strength in case we get into a fight."  
  
Spike nodded to Xander, who nodded back.  
  
"We should also give Willow a dose of tough love as soon as possible," Xander continued. "Before she has a chance to see this Rack again."  
  
The other Scoobies agreed.  
  
"I don't think Spike should be involved," Buffy declared harshly.  
  
Again everyone looked at her.  
  
"Well," Buffy said, squirming, "it's not like he's close to Will like the rest of us are."  
  
"Fine," Spike said. He rose abruptly to his feet and thrust his hands in the pockets of his duster. "I'll leave you lot to take care of it then. Touchy feely stuff ain't what you'd call my style anyway." He looked at Xander and Anya. "I'll see you two here after dark." And with that he took off for the back alley, once again slamming the door after him.  
  
Everyone sat in silence for a moment. The Scoobies glanced at one another curiously. There was obviously a subtext here that they were missing.  
  
"Look," Xander said, to Buffy, "I'm no big fan of Spike's. But you treated him a little rough just now. Did something happen?"  
  
"No. Nothing," Buffy lied. "I just don't think we need his help. That's all."  
  
"But you used it last night. You didn't even bother to call any of the rest of us. And you let Spike go off on his own with Dawn to the hospital. Did something happen between then and now?"  
  
"Nothing," Buffy answered."  
  
"So, what's the deal?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"So there's nothing about nothing." Xander slapped his legs. "Well, Spike is obviously concerned about what happened last night. And I am too. We'd better go and talk to Willow as soon as possible."  
  
"Maybe I should bow out of this," Tara said. "I've said all I can to Willow. She knows where I stand."  
  
"Fine. Good," Buffy said. "Maybe it's best if only Xander and I do the talking. We've known Willow the longest."  
  
Anya made a face. She didn't like being left out. But she consoled herself by saying, "All right, it's better if I stay by the cash register anyway."  
  
"Could I borrow your car, Xander?" Buffy asked. "For my trip out into the desert?"  
  
Anya made a face again. It seemed whatever Buffy wanted he was only too glad to do.  
  
"Sure, I guess so," Xander said. "We'll drive over to your place and talk to Willow. Then you can go off into the desert and find yourself." 


	4. Chapter Four - Out Voted

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Out Voted  
  
While their new weapon was powering up in Warren's back yard, the Triad talked about their plans for it. After all, you can't start charging people not to torch their stuff until you prove you can torch their stuff.  
  
"This first blaze should be something important," Jonathan said.  
  
"Yeah," Andrew agreed, "something that'll get everyone talking.  
  
Warren held up his hand. He was sure he had the answer. "Men, I say we start with Sunnydale High School. That's the perfect place to begin the devastation. And, since the ray gun is probably powered up by now, I think we should go right over there and toast the place."  
  
Jonathan and Andrew exchanged looks.  
  
"Right now?" Jonathan said. "But, the place is crawling with people. If we toast the place now, won't a whole lotta of them die?"  
  
"Exactly!" Warren said. "That's how we'll let 'em know we're serious. Besides it'll serve as payback for all the grief we got in high school."  
  
Jonathan shifted uncertainly from one foot to the other. "But the kids who are going there now aren't the same ones that treated us like dirt way back when."  
  
"What difference does that make?" Warren said. "All those high school types are the same. Jocks, cheerleaders. They all prey on kids like us. It's time we put an end to it."  
  
Once again Jonathan and Andrew exchanged looks. This didn't sound like Warren talking. Freezing the guard at the museum and leaving him to thaw out over several days was one thing. But suggesting they torch a whole school full of people was another. This was way strange. Andrew dug his elbow into Jonathan's ribs, hinting that he should say something.  
  
"Uh," Jonathan sputtered, "But won't we get seen in broad daylight?"  
  
"And what if someone tries to stop us?" Andrew added.  
  
Warren crossed to his crowded workbench and pulled out a heavy canvas bag that was just the right size to carry the ray gun. "So what? The gun should be able to throw fire from enough of a distance to singe anyone who gets in our way."  
  
"But what if doesn't work?" Jonathan said.  
  
"Yeah . . ." Andrew agreed. "You said yourself this is a trial run. What if the gun doesn't work like we think it will? We might end up getting arrested."  
  
"It'll work," Warren said with confidence. "Of that I'm sure."  
  
"But what if it doesn't?" Jonathan said, trying hard to look taller.  
  
"It would be much safer to try it after dark," Andrew agreed. "And the fire will stand out nice and dramatic. Just like in a big screen movie!"  
  
"No!" Warren said. "We should go now. A big daylight blaze with a lot of charred bodies is just what we need."  
  
"Well, we can always char bodies later," Jonathan offered, "if that's what you really want. But uh . . . I really think we should be cautious our first time out."  
  
"I think we should put it to a vote," Andrew said, before Warren could insist again. "All in favor of waiting to test the ray gun tonight, raise your hands."  
  
Both Jonathan and Andrew immediately started to wave their hands.  
  
Warren was obviously displeased about being out-voted. His eyes got very dark as he looked at his friends. It gave Jonathan and Andrew a creepy feeling, like he was wondering if the first test of the ray gun should be on them instead of the high school. "All right," Warren said, with irritation. "But you're both a couple great big wusses." 


	5. Chapter Five - Back to Basics

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Back to Basics  
  
Willow had been awake for quite a while. In fact, she'd had even less sleep then Buffy had. She'd heard the echo of Buffy and Dawn's voices when they'd gotten up. And she'd heard them leave the house. The clock next to the bed told her that the morning was quickly ebbing away and she needed to get up.  
  
Her body felt achy as she climbed out of bed. And she felt unusually cold. She took a long hot shower, the kind that steams up every fixture in the bathroom and empties the hot water tank. But even that didn't help. So she put on extra warm clothing and tumbled downstairs. She'd already planned her ultimate goal for the day. The Magic Box was the logical place for her to go. Maybe she could work on that diamond theft case and get back to basics. She circled the kitchen a couple of time, wondering if she should try and eat something. But her stomach wasn't anxious to take in anything. Besides, there wasn't much food in the house anyway.  
  
Her nerves were so much on edge that when a small scratching sound came from the kitchen door, she jumped into the air and against the counter table on the way down. She looked through the curtains and saw Amy.  
  
"Hi," Willow said in a small voice as she opened the door. It was a very non-committal "Hi," not exactly friendly and not exactly unfriendly either. "What do you want?"  
  
Amy's face was almost as pale and unhealthy looking as Willow's. "How are you?" she asked.  
  
"'Kay. What do you want?"  
  
"I was, uh, just on my way over to Rack's. I thought you might, uh, want to come." There was uncertainty in Amy's voice. And her eyes kept breaking away from Willow's face nervously.  
  
"No. I don't think so. I've got some Scoobie work to do. I've been falling behind."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They stood in silence for a moment.  
  
"Well, maybe later, then," Amy said.  
  
"I don't think so. I promised Buffy I wouldn't. I messed up major last night. Somehow I conjured this demon. And he chased me and Dawn all over downtown. Dawn ended up with this fractured arm. And Buffy and Spike came and found us. I finally got rid of the demon. But they weren't very happy about the whole thing. I promised Buffy I would give it up. I don't think I should go back to Rack's ever again."  
  
"Oh."  
  
From the front of the house, they heard the sound of a car pulling up, followed by the slamming of doors.  
  
"They're probably coming to check up on me," Willow said.  
  
"Then maybe I'd better go."  
  
"I think that's a good idea."  
  
Amy skittered off the back porch and disappeared back to the street as Buffy and Xander entered the front door of the house.  
  
"Hey!" Willow called as she came in from the kitchen. She was trying very hard to make her voice sound all up and perky, so they'd believe she could really get over this thing.  
  
"Willow?" Xander called.  
  
"I was just getting my laptop together." She held it up as exhibit A. "I was gonna come down to the Magic Box and do some more work on that diamond robbery."  
  
"That's good," Xander said. "But first Buffy and I want to talk to you."  
  
Willow nodded, but she did her best to avoid Xander's eyes. This wasn't something she was looking forward to. Buffy had been very lenient with her the night before, everything considered. Unusually so, in fact. But she knew by the look on Xander's face that he would not be.  
  
"Why don't you sit down," Xander said.  
  
Willow took a seat at the farthest corner of the couch, hoping to put a little distance between her and them. But Xander sat down right next to her.  
  
"You know what we wanna talk to you about, right?" Xander asked. "Buffy and Spike told the rest of us what happened last night."  
  
"I know . . . I know I messed up," Willow said quickly. "I know I've got a problem. But I really will conquer it. I promise. No more magic. I'm done. I'm going back to being a computer nerd just like I was before. Starting right now . . . today. None of what happened last night will ever happen again. Ever."  
  
"See?" Buffy said, as if that settled everything. "We should just move on."  
  
Xander gave Buffy an annoyed look. "No. What happened last night was bad. Very bad. It was reckless and thoughtless. How could you involve Dawn in all that mess?"  
  
"Well, we were gonna go to the movies you see and I just thought we'd make a teesy little stop . . ."  
  
Xander held up a hand. "AND, you were down at the Bronze the night before pulling all kinds of magic pranks with Amy, weren't you?"  
  
Willow's mouth opened and closed. "How did you . . . I mean, yeah. But we put everything back the way it was. Honest. We were just playing around. How. . ."  
  
"It seems the Bronze hired a couple of demon bouncers who evidently weren't effected by your spells. They clued Spike into what you two were doing. They're not going to let either one of you back in there again."  
  
"But it wasn't all that much. We just had a couple of guys dance up on the ceiling and changed the boy band to a girl band and a made few people fly."  
  
"What if someone had gotten hurt?"  
  
Willow started breathing heavily. "Yeah. But they didn't. We put everything back the way it was. And Dawn only got a broken arm. And I don't know how you can be so high and mighty, Xander Harris. You were the one who called in that singing and dancing demon, remember? There were people who actually danced to death. Buffy was almost one of them."  
  
"We're talking about you here, not me. Yeah. I was just plain stupid in that case. I admit it. And I learned my lesson. It'll be a long time before I go playing around with things like that again. But you . . .What you did at the Bronze was disgraceful. You forced your will on a whole group of people. Treated them like puppets and playthings for your amusement. Like they weren't even human beings. Magic has become a control thing for you."  
  
Willow tapped the computer in her lap. "But I won't do it anymore, I promise. Honest. I'm going to give it all up. I was going right over to the Magic Box this morning, to do some hacking. Giles told me the Watcher's Council has just finished transferring all their files to digital format. You know, on account of their source books being so old and dusty. A lot of them are well on the way to disintegrating. This way members of the Watchers from all over the world can get access to all this special information. They have way more books then Giles ever had. I was going to hack in there and see if that diamond had any special properties, aside from the usual diamond ones that is."  
  
Xander sighed. "That's good, Will. You should be doing more stuff like that. But as your friends, we can't ignore this problem. We're here if you need us. You've just got to promise us you'll stop."  
  
Willow waved her hands in nervous submissiveness. "Absolutely. Without a doubt. Done. As of last night. Never again!"  
  
"Good," Buffy said.  
  
"From now on," Willow said, "I promise to spend most of my non-school time with you guys at the Magic Box and all my nights here at home. I can look out for Dawn while Buffy goes on patrol."  
  
"Good. But you have to promise one more thing," Xander said.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You have to promise not to see Amy anymore."  
  
"Sure. I can do that. No problem."  
  
"Maybe after a lot of time goes on, they'll let you back into the Bronze again."  
  
"In the meantime," Buffy said, "I should tell you that I'm going away for a couple of days."  
  
"Really?" Willow asked in a small voice.  
  
"I have some slayer questing to do. No big. Dawn's gonna stay with Tara till I get back. She's going to be needing a little help with the broken arm and everything. And I don't want you to have to worry about anything but yourself for a while."  
  
Willow said a small thank you, but she didn't really mean it. It sounded to her like Buffy didn't trust her with Dawn anymore.  
  
"If we're done here," Buffy said, "I need to go up and get a heavier jacket. It gets cold at night in the desert."  
  
"Buffy," Willow said as her friend started up the stairs. "I, uh, hope you don't mind, but I opened all your windows. Your room smelled kind of weird."  
  
Buffy nodded and started wearily up the stairs. "Fine."  
  
As soon as Buffy's footsteps faded into her room, Xander turned to Willow and said, "Why don't you go on ahead to the Magic Box. I'll catch up. There's something I forgot to ask Buffy about patrolling."  
  
Willow pulled her laptop into her arms and got up from the sofa. "Oh," she said. "Sure. I understand." But she still felt hurt at being left out. Considering all that had happened, though, she couldn't exactly complain. So instead she just slipped quietly out, leaving Xander to wait in the entryway for Buffy.  
  
"Where's Willow?" Buffy asked as she came back down.  
  
"I sent her on ahead because I need to talk to you."  
  
Buffy came to a stop two steps from the bottom of the stairwell. From the look on Xander's face, she didn't think she was going to like what he had to say.  
  
"It's not just Willow I'm concerned about," he began. "I'm really concerned about how you're taking all of this. If it was my little sister who'd been hurt last night, I'd sure as hell be ticked. But you're so calm and forgiving about it all. Spike was more upset this morning then you were. You're acting like everything's all right now and it's not. Sure, Willow will kick this thing. But it's not gonna happen overnight. Look. I'm gonna say this one more time . . . I don't think you should be going on this questing thing right now."  
  
"Willow and Dawn will be fine."  
  
"Maybe. But Dawn is your sister. And Willow is living in your house. They could really both use your support right now."  
  
"They'll be fine for a couple of days. I've really got some questions that need answering."  
  
"I know but . . ."  
  
"No you don't!" Buffy said, angrily. "Xander, I have to do this! I'm sorry if you don't understand, but that's the way it is."  
  
"This isn't like you, Buffy. I would think you would care a bit more about your sister and your best friend." Xander opened the front door and started out. "I just don't know who you are anymore." And with that he slammed off. 


	6. Chapter Six - Wings of Healing

CHAPTER SIX  
  
Wings of Healing  
  
As Buffy drove Xander's car out to the desert, she found all kinds of things flashing in and out of her head. She tried playing the car radio to drown out her thoughts. But it was broken, just like her.  
  
Unbidden, she heard Spike's voice in her head saying for the thousandth time, "You came back wrong," coupled with Xander's words, "I just don't know who you are anymore."  
  
The memories of her night with Spike kept sweeping back and overwhelming her. She tried to shut them out, but she couldn't. She remembered the way she'd attacked him, the cool touch of his skin, the feel of his weight above her, the excitement of his lips moving up and down her body.  
  
"You felt something last night," Spike had said.  
  
"Not love," she'd answered.  
  
"Not yet," he'd said back. Then he'd spouted all that disgusting stuff about how she was gonna crave him and if she didn't stop acting like a bitch he would bite her. Would he really bite her? Somehow she doubted it. But if you'd asked her that question last night just after she'd had her final talk with Willow, she would have said otherwise. At that moment it had seemed like Willow's perceived addiction to magic and her attraction to Spike were one and the same. But were they?  
  
Xander had said that the magic Willow and Amy had done at the Bronze was about control. That made sense. Making people dance on the ceiling against their will sure sounded like control games to her. But what had gone on between her and Spike that night had been about old angers and a very strong attraction. Neither had done anything to the other against their will. That was the frightening part.  
  
"Spike was more upset this morning then you were," Xander had said. Basically, although Xander hadn't come right out said it, he also seemed to be implying that she was acting like a bitch. Or maybe worse, that she was totally devoid of caring. "I would think you would care a bit more about your sister and your best friend," he had said.  
  
But that's why she just had to do this quest. She had to find out if she was the same Buffy.  
  
Once in the desert, she found a shaded spot by a tree and built a circle of smooth white stones. She didn't have a rattle to shake like Giles had used. But he'd told her that shaking it and jumping in and out of the circle was his part of the ritual. And he was gone now. So it was she who stepped into the circle, alone. She sat thoughtlessly and waited. For some reason the things that had assaulted her mind on the drive over couldn't seem to break through to her while she was in the circle. Well, at least that was one good thing.  
  
The last time she'd come in search of the Guide, a mountain lion had appeared to lead her to the meeting place. Giles had told her later that it was an animal spirit, a sort of a guide to the Guide. And that mountain lions were a symbol of strength and leadership. He'd given her an overview of several other spirit guides as well, each one symbolizing something different. But she fully expected to see the same one again. She kept peering off into the distance, waiting for his sleek tan form to appear. But the big cat didn't come. Instead she suddenly became aware of a large shadow engulfing her and the sound of a great bird calling as it spiraled down from above.  
  
It was an eagle, in all of its majesty. Giles had told her that eagles were a symbol of the Great Spirit and of healing. Buffy savored its power and control as its huge wings brought it in for a landing just outside the circle she was sitting in.  
  
"So," she said to the eagle. "I take it you've come for me?" And with that she got to her feet and stepped out of the circle. The eagle took to the air again, this time flying very low. They seemed to travel for a long time, but Buffy couldn't really be sure how much time had passed. Finally, the eagle settled itself on a large tree that had fallen dead onto the sand. "Is this it?" she asked. When he didn't take off again, she figured he'd answered in the affirmative. The sun was getting low in the sky by then. She'd need a fire for warmth. "Do you mind if I use some of that wood for a fire?" she asked the eagle.  
  
He looked back at her with his sharp black eyes. Then he hopped onto the thickest part of the fallen trunk, putting a greater distance between himself and the thinner branches of the tree.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "I guess those would be easier to break off." She gathered a good armload and soon worked them into a small blaze. "That's better," she said. "Now what? We just wait, I suppose."  
  
But she didn't have to wait long. As soon as the sun started to slip behind the sand dune in front of her, the fire climbed up higher and higher until it was easily three times greater then the pile of wood it had been started on. Behind it, Buffy saw the shadowy form of the first slayer, peeking out from behind the undulating flames.  
  
"You have returned," the Guide said in its breathy voice.  
  
"Yes. I don't have a Watcher anymore and I have some questions."  
  
"I know. About your return. You are afraid that you are no longer human. That you have been changed in some way."  
  
"Have I? Am I . . . a demon now?"  
  
"All slayers are part demon, but they are mostly human. The first slayer was created by taking the powers of a demon and investing them in a young woman. The shamans who did understood that only one who knew darkness could fight against it. And so it has been from that day to this."  
  
Buffy was horrified. It confirmed all her worst fears. Ever since she'd become a slayer, there'd been so many hints to that effect. But she'd always chosen to ignore them. Instead, she'd tried to think of herself as better then the forces she was fighting. Superior to them morally and in every other respect. Had she been lying to herself so she wouldn't see the truth? "Why? . . . why didn't Giles tell me?"  
  
"He doesn't know. He only suspects. And he didn't want to think of you as part demon any more then you do now. The shamans, who became the Watchers Council chose to keep silent that part of slayer history. They fear it, because from time to time slayers will find themselves lost in their demon side."  
  
"Like Faith," Buffy said in a small voice.  
  
"She made her choice. Like all creatures in this dimension, she has free will and therefore freedom of choice. She made hers and you have made yours. Yours was the choice that most slayers make."  
  
"Am I . . . more of a demon now that I've come back?"  
  
"No. Your demon side is exactly as before. And that part of you that is your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses, that is the same also. Your demon strength is what kept you intact as you moved from one dimension to another. You feel different. But that's because your emotions are struggling with all the changes you've experienced and the fears you still have. It is your physical human side that has changed."  
  
"I'm not human anymore?" Buffy said in a hushed voice.  
  
"Yes and no. You are human in that you have breath and your heart pumps blood through your veins. And you have humanity. But the life you were given originally has ended, gone. You were called back by magic, as a defender of the people. You will stay on in this dimension as you are until you either die in battle or the spell that brought you here is undone."  
  
Buffy's face fell in shock. This was even worse then being part demon. At least demons she understood. "You mean . . . I'm like immortal?"  
  
"Yes and no."  
  
"Will you stop saying that!" Buffy shouted.  
  
"No creature on this side is without vulnerability. You can die, though perhaps not as easily as before. It will probably happen in the course of battle. Until then, you will remain as you are unchanged. But you must continue learning the lessons I told you about when last we met. You must learn about love. Remember, love is pain. And even a resurrected slayer forges strength from pain. You must love, give, forgive, and risk the pain. Death is still your gift. For you have put it aside to become a defender of the people."  
  
"But wait a minute. I didn't choose to come back. I was brought back. Totally against my will!"  
  
"The spell that was done would have brought you back against your will. But it was interrupted while you were still moving through dimensions. When that happened, you had a choice of going on or going back. And you decided to return, even though you do not remember it as yet. It is now in your best interest to accept your choice and face your fear of love. For remember, the journey through eternity can be very lonely."  
  
Buffy jumped to her feet. "Wait a minute! I DIDN'T choose eternity! . . . Did I?"  
  
But the Guide would say no more. The figure of the first slayer disintegrated and the fire faded back to its normal size. Buffy and the eagle were alone again in the cold of the desert. Buffy yelled for several minutes for the Guide to come back. But of course she didn't. The eagle waited till Buffy begame silent. Then it took to the air, circling higher and higher above her.  
  
Buffy watched it take off and then called out to the skies, "That's right! You go too! Just drop all this on me and go!"  
  
The eagle made no sound in answer. But before it disappeared, it dropped a single wing feather at her feet. Not knowing what else to do, Buffy picked it up and stroked it. 


	7. Chapter Seven - Sidelined

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Sidelined  
  
Willow's day wasn't all that pleasant at the Magic Box. Anya totally ignored her and Xander did pretty much the same thing. He hesitated at her side only occasionally to peer at the screen of her laptop. Willow knew he was checking up on her, making sure she didn't use any magic to further her hacking. It was really hard not to use magic because the Watcher's site was especially difficult to penetrate. But she finally did it. "I'm in!" she announced proudly.  
  
Anya was going over accounts at the cash register and continued to ignore her. Xander was putting a few things up on the shelves near the door. "That's great, Willow," Xander said. But he didn't sound at all impressed. He sounded more like he was just humoring her, as if what she was doing was basically busy work  
  
Well, Willow was determined to show them. She was going to find out all about that diamond. Then they'd show her some appreciation. She worked all day on the project, becoming totally unaware of the passage of time. She never heard Anya and Xander arguing over their wedding plans. And she never noticed the sun going down. It was Spike slamming in through the back door of the shop that tore her from her computer screen. She looked up instinctively at the sound. And for a moment she and Spike stared wordlessly at one another.  
  
"Are you going to lecture me too?" she asked as he walked up to her.  
  
Spike looked down at the floor for a moment. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully. "No. I know how it is with the Big Bad. How it makes you feel like you're somebody. But it's got a price, Red. Rack's magic is real dangerous stuff. And before you go mucking about with people like that, you oughta ask yourself if you're willing to pay the piper. Cos I don't think you are." Spike held Willow's eyes for a moment. Then he turned and walked to the back of the store where Xander was.  
  
Willow looked back down at her keyboard, not really seeing her fingers. She understood what he was saying. As powerful as magic made her feel, it might cost her friendships with Buffy and Xander. It had already cost her relationship with Tara. And there was always the possibility that she might seriously hurt one of them some day. She'd already hurt Buffy in dragging her out of heaven and her foolishness had led to Dawn get a broken arm the night before. She was just totally screwing up. So much so, that at the moment she seemed more like an outsider then Spike.  
  
"We're going on patrol now, "Xander told Willow. "Will you be all right here by yourself?"  
  
Willow looked up to see Xander standing next to her. Anya and Spike were already waiting for him by the door. "Oh, sure," Willow said, trying to sound offhanded. "I just have a few other things to look at and then I'll be off too."  
  
"Don't forget to lock up," Anya said.  
  
"I won't. Oh . . . But don't you wanna hear what I've found out so far about that diamond."  
  
Anya looked up impatiently at the ceiling.  
  
"Sure," Xander said. "What did ya find out?"  
  
"Well, it's really quite interesting," Willow said jumping up. "You see the diamond has this real long history. It's called the Diamond of Gunab."  
  
"Gunab? The Hottentot god of evil?" Anya asked. "I met him once. He's not very nice."  
  
Xander glanced back at his fiancee, hoping against hope that this Gunab guy wasn't one of her old lovers. He was beginning to think she had way too much past for an average guy like him.  
  
"Yeah," Willow said, "only of course, the diamond is just named after him. There are two main superstitions connected with it that most everybody knows. It's supposed to be able to absorb the power of the sun and turn it into fire. And it's also supposed to be able to soak up the energy from one person and transfer it to another. But those are actually just little tiny abilities. The really big secret thing about it is that it's supposed to have a curse on it."  
  
"See," Anya said. "I told you. Diamonds and curses. The two just go together."  
  
Xander was wondering if that included diamond engagement rings.  
  
"This one is supposed to have been put on it by a demon long ago," Willow said. "You see, he had this thing against this emperor and he wanted to bring him down. So, knowing how greedy the emperor was, he sent him this diamond. Well, of course the emperor couldn't refuse. And as soon as he touched it, the spell was cast."  
  
"What spell?" Xander asked.  
  
"First you get kinda obsessive about stuff. And then it drives you out of your mind, kinda burns your brain out."  
  
"Oh, that sounds nice," Anya said.  
  
"Course it's only supposed to work on humans and no one else. The demon who cast the spell put in that little clause so the diamond could never be used against him."  
  
"So," Xander said, swinging his body back and forth. "That means that if a demon or some other non-human stole this diamond, he'll be perfectly all right. But if a human stole it, we've got a brewing mad man on our hands?"  
  
"Yeah," Willow said, "I guess so."  
  
"Great. I can hardly wait to see which one it is."  
  
"Who was this emperor that the curse was made for?" Anya asked.  
  
"Nero," Willow said. "You know, the guy who fiddled while Rome burned?"  
  
Xander stuck out his lower lip and nodded. "And on that note, I think we better go off on patrol. We'll keep an eye out for burgeoning mad men. Maybe we'll hit the usual demon haunts first and then go check downtown." His tone was one of bantering, but his face was lined with exhaustion.  
  
"Fine," Willow said, trying again to sound perky, "I'll tell Buffy all about the diamond as soon as she gets back."  
  
"You do that," Xander said. "Thanks, Will." He turned and signaled to the other two that they should also show appreciation.  
  
"Yeah, good work, Red," Spike said. But Anya remained silent.  
  
Willow watched them go out the door and pass the front window. Spike was in the lead as they started off in the direction of the cemetery. The shop was so still, the quiet almost echoed in her ears. She knew her friends were only pretending to appreciate her work. She felt so sidelined.  
  
With all of her hacking work done for the day, there really wasn't much reason for Willow to stick around. She packed up and walked out into the deserted streets. She didn't actually decide on a direction, her feet just carried her to Tara's building of their own accord. Dawn had told her that her ex now had a one-roomed apartment on the third floor. That it was small but snug. Since it faced the back, Willow knew she wouldn't get a glimpse of Tara unless she and Dawn happened to go out for some reason. But at least it was comforting just knowing she was nearby.  
  
Willow had been there about forty-five minutes when she became aware that she wasn't alone. Amy appeared out of the shadows next to her, looking very nervous.  
  
"Willow, I've been looking all over for you," Amy said.  
  
"Well, if you've come to ask me to go back to Rack's with you, you're wasting your time,"  
  
"Oh, are you sure? I mean, I think he really really wants you back."  
  
"I'm not going," Willow answered, gazing up at one of the third floor apartments. She knew it wasn't Tara's window. But at least it was on the same floor  
  
Amy reached out and plucked anxiously at her friend's sweater. "Please. Please come?"  
  
"No. I promised."  
  
"You wouldn't have to stay long. Just a quick visit. For a second or two. That's all."  
  
"No."  
  
"You could be in and out before you could say Abracadabra!" Amy started tugging at Willow's arm.  
  
"Why are you doing that? Let me go?"  
  
"No, I can't," Amy said, her eyes gleaming in the streetlights. "Rack said I can't come back unless you do. And I just gotta go back there Willow. I don't belong anywhere else. I don't belong to my family anymore. I didn't finish high school. I need to fit in somewhere. Please, please come back with me."  
  
Willow looked at Amy and wondered if maybe she'd made a mistake in bringing her back from ratdom. "I can't. And I'm not going to stand here and discuss it anymore. Now, just stay away from me." And with that Willow pushed Amy away and strode quickly down the block. 


	8. Chapter Eight - Itty Bitty Blaze

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
Itty Bitty Blaze  
  
By the time the Triad pulled up outside of the new Sunnydale High School building, everything was totally dark and quiet.  
  
"OK," Warren announced. "We rock." He pulled on a pair of long protective gloves to protect his hands and arms. Then he took up the ray gun and followed his comrades out of the van.  
  
"How close do we need to be?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Not too close," Warren answered. "The flames will shoot out real hard. We don't want them bouncing off the building back at us. Better to shoot from the sidewalk. Then we can set all the foliage around the place on fire as well as the school." He hefted the weapon up and pointed it toward his target. "All right, get back!"  
  
Jonathan and Andrew scooted against the van and covered their ears in anticipation of the roaring flames about to flare up in front of them.  
  
Warren pulled the trigger, but only a thin ray of fire shot out. It singed the bush directly in front of him, but didn't go any further. Confused, he shook the gun and pulled the trigger a second time. All it did was to finish off the bush.  
  
"Well, that was underwhelming," Andrew said.  
  
"Yeah, it kinda fizzled," Jonathan agreed. "I'm glad we didn't try it during the daytime. We would have been picked up for small time arson. What an embarrassment that would've been. The evil geniuses of Sunnydale brought in for a misdemeanor. Maybe we should just give up on this diamond."  
  
"Yeah," there's lots of other things on our to-do list," Andrew said.  
  
"No!" Warren shouted. "It WILL work!"  
  
"You think you can fix it?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Maybe it just isn't as effective as a fire ray," Warren said. "I'll bet it's better at power transference!"  
  
"What if it isn't?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Andrew. "I think we'd be better off selling the diamond and concentrating on some other project."  
  
Warren clutched the ray gun to his chest protectively. "No! We're not selling the diamond. I can make it work. I'll revamp the gun to make it absorb power. Then we'll take it to some of the nastier sections of town and steal the special abilities of some of our local demons. Think of it, Jonathan! The next time you make yourself look like a demon, you can have the strength of one too. Wouldn't you like that?"  
  
"Sure. But do you think it'll really work?"  
  
"I know it will!"  
  
"I don't know," Andrew said. "I'd rather work on getting Buffy to be our love slave. Don't you think that would be more fun? We could hypnotize her so all her inhibitions are set loose and let her just wreck us."  
  
Jonathan raised both his eyebrows, his eyes full of visions. It sounded like a good idea to him.  
  
"No! We do this first," Warren said, "We can always do that later."  
  
"Why don't we put it to a . . ." Jonathan started.  
  
"NO!" Warren roared, giving Jonathan a hard shove. "No vote! I say we adjust the ray gun for power transference. And that's what we're gonna do!"  
  
There was something in Warren's stance that made Jonathan and Andrew decide to go along with him. Maybe it was that fact that he had the fire ray gun pointed at them with his finger on the trigger. The gun hadn't done much damage to Sunnydale High. But neither Jonathan or Andrew wanted to end up looking charred like the bush in front of it. 


	9. Chapter Nine - Search for a Shoulder

CHAPTER NINE  
  
Search for a Shoulder  
  
It was very late when Buffy drove back into Sunnydale. She'd spent most of the trip being angry with Willow, practicing all the nasty things she was going to say to her. With Dawn out for the night, it was a perfect time for them to have a confrontation. Xander wanted her to stand up to Willow, right? Well, he was going to get his wish! Not only had she been dragged out of heaven against her will, she'd been brought back as something totally different. Because of Willow she was going to be spending the rest of eternity fight demons! That was a whole lot worse then finding out she was part demon. At least that only applied to her slayer powers. But to not really be human anymore? Buffy rammed down the gas pedal and flew through yet another red light.  
  
The Guide had to be lying. She couldn't have chosen to come back. She couldn't have. Who in their right mind would leave heaven to come back to the Hellmouth? And what did the Guide mean when she said she couldn't be killed as easily? She should have questioned her more about that. She should also have yelled a whole lot louder at her too.  
  
Buffy skidded Xander's car to a stop in front of her house. Then she slammed the door mercilessly and stalked up to the house. Everything was dark. That probably meant Willow was already asleep. But Buffy didn't care. She unlocked the door and threw it open with such force that it caused major plaster damage to the wall behind it. "Willow! . ." she screamed out. She switched on some lights and marched upstairs. "Willow!"  
  
But Willow wasn't there. She was out. That only made Buffy angrier. Her first thought was that Willow had gone back to Rack's. Even though she still had no idea where to go, Buffy went out to look for the place again. She went up streets and down streets, this way and that. But she was still totally unable to find it, for there was nothing in her that wanted to tap into the Big Bad. She desperately wished some demon would fall across her path so she could beat it to a bloody pulp. But the demons that night must have sensed her mood because they stayed far away.  
  
She stopped and looked in at the Magic Box. But it was dark and locked up tight. She walked past Giles's old apartment. But it had already been taken over by new tenants. Finally she started to tire. And her feet took her to the one place she didn't want to go . . . to the cemetery, to Spike's crypt.  
  
Only, he too seemed to be out. The crypt was dark and empty and very creepy without his presence there. She stood for a moment listening to her own breathing and trembling heartbeat. Then she started back out into the night.  
  
She'd only gone a little way when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Slayer? . . . So, you've returned from your little trip into the desert, have you? Didn't take long. Why are you here? To cry on my shoulder? Or tell me again that you want me out of your life?"  
  
Spike waited with his hands deep in the pockets of his duster. His eyes were narrowed and he was ready to give her a fight if that's what she'd come for. He'd promised her he wasn't going to take any more mistreatment from her and he'd meant it.  
  
And then Buffy turned. In the dim light he saw tears collecting in her eyes. Her facial expression was changing from one of incredible anger to great sadness. "Well," he said, "at least this time I don't seem to be the one you're sod off at." With a sigh he lowered his gaze and shook his head. He was still very mad at her. But it was so hard to resist those eyes. Buffy waited silently for his decision, the tears starting to flow freely down her cheeks. Of course he had to take her in his arms. "OK," he said, petting her hair softly as she sobbed against his chest, "Let it out. Then tell me what happened." 


	10. Chapter Ten - Consequences

CHAPTER TEN  
  
Consequences  
  
Willow didn't come in till dawn. By that time, Buffy was already home and waiting for her in the livingroom. She'd had a good cry and talked herself out at Spike's crypt. So she was calmer. But she was still determined.  
  
"Buffy," Willow said with surprise, "you're back."  
  
"Where have you been?" Buffy asked, her tone accusatory.  
  
"Around," Willow answered, "walking mostly. I went over to Tara's and thought about ringing the bell. But I didn't. Oh . . . and you would've been proud of me. Amy tried to get me to go to Rack's, but I refused. Then I walked around a lot. I went to the Bronze, but they wouldn't let me in. This creepy demon guy who looked like praying mantis jumped out of the shadows and blocked my way down the alley. He said Amy and I were no longer welcome there. Said he told the slayer's boyfriend that last night." Willow gave a half laugh. "Would you believe it? He thinks Spike is your boyfriend! Probably saw you talking to him once and just misunderstood."  
  
Buffy looked away for a moment. This was not a subject she wanted to get into. "What did you do after that," she asked.  
  
"Just kept walking. Up streets, down streets. Past the high school, thinking about old times. I didn't do anything I shouldn't, honest. I just walked. Oh, but how was your slayer quest? You're back kinda early, aren't you?"  
  
"It didn't take as much time as I thought it would."  
  
"What did you find out?"  
  
Buffy put her arms around herself. She'd been planning to do all this confrontation stuff with Willow earlier. But now that her first anger and tears had been spent, she found she wasn't ready to talk about it yet to anyone other then Spike. There was a lot to take in. Spike had told her that she'd have to face it and talk about it to the Scoobies sooner or later. Especially if the Guide had been right and she'd actually chosen to complete her resurrection after the spell was interrupted. She had a lot to think about. And at the moment she just didn't want to deal with Willow's reaction to it all. "There's a lot I still have to work out," Buffy said. "But at least I had a good cry and I've calmed down a little. I think I'm on my way."  
  
"Calmed down? What happened?" Willow's voice and expression were full of concern.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it now. But Xander told me earlier that I was way too accepting about what you did last night. And I think he was right. You just have no idea about the far-reaching consequences of your magic. You simply must stop. Right now . . . tonight."  
  
"But I did."  
  
"Yes, so you said. But I want you to know, if you ever do anything like that again, like what you did last night, you're going to have to move out of here. You've just got to learn at some point that your actions have consequences."  
  
Willow lowered her head. There really wasn't much she could say. 


	11. Chapter Eleven - The Ageless Battle

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
The Ageless Battle  
  
  
  
As it turned out, Buffy didn't discuss her slayer quest in depth with anyone other then Spike for quite some time. Once again he served as her confidant. But she started carrying the eagle feather as a talisman and she tried to make some first steps toward responsibility by getting a paying job. She told all the Scoobies individually that she needed them to divide up slayer duties with her so that she could concentrate on trying to make money.  
  
Xander and Anya patrolled with Spike when Buffy worked nights. Willow tried to center herself around school and computer investigations. Tara looked in on Dawn and made sure things were going all right there.  
  
One night when Spike came to pick up Xander and his fiancee for patrol, he found only Xander waiting. "So what's up, Harris?" Spike asked. "The little lady has some wedding issues to work out?"  
  
Xander ignored this verbal jab. In comparison to the things he'd been hearing from Anya's demon friends in the last few days, anything Spike could say sounded like a compliment. "She's busy visiting with a vengeance demon friend of hers. It's the second to come visiting in as many days." Xander brought down the metal grill over the entrance to the shop with as much force as he could muster, filling the street with the clang of falling metal. "The first one tried to psychoanalyze our relationship. The one from today goes by the name of Agatha and she's belittling the size of the wedding. She thinks we should have a bigger hall and more bridesmaids and so on and so on. And Anya is listening to her! I thought we had everything settled."  
  
Spike gave a small laugh as he followed the other man toward the cemetery. "Harris," I've lived for over a hundred bleedin' years and I still don't get women. Even when you do what they say they want, it's never enough." He was talking about Buffy of course. And how he had turned himself inside out to serve as an adjunct to the Scoobies without ever getting any credit from her.  
  
"Yeah," Xander agreed, sticking his hands deeply into his empty pockets. "I thought I was giving Anya pretty much everything she wanted with this wedding. But as soon as one of her old demon friends drops by and says something, it's not good enough for her anymore."  
  
"You turn yourself inside out and backward for them. But do they see that? No! Do you even get a bleedin' nod of approval? Not bloody likely. They still act like you're not good enough for them."  
  
"That's it exactly! That other demon friend of Anya's who came yesterday basically said I wasn't good enough for her. To tell the truth, I'm not too happy about these two vengeance demons being her bridesmaids. I mean they're not the kind of people you want at a wedding. They make the whole thing feel shotgunny. Like, do it our way or prepare for the big vengeance thing."  
  
"You afraid they won't like the flowers and will take vengeance on you by turning you into a frog or something?" Spike asked.  
  
"Or maybe talk Anya into becoming a vengeance demon again."  
  
"That's what you're really afraid of, isn't it Harris?" Spike tapped a cigarette out of the pack in his jacket.  
  
"Or maybe I'm afraid that this is what our married life will be like, with various old demon friends of hers appearing periodically on the doorstep, discussing our life and what a failure I am."  
  
"You know," Spike said, lighting his cigarette, "I don't blame you for not wanting the vengeance demons at your little shindig. But if you wanted a nice quiet human wife with no past, you woulda picked one. Like the rest of the Scoobies, you're drawn to the wild side. Maybe if Buffy hadn't come along you all would've turned out bleedin' normal. But you got caught up in saving the world. Look at you, you're in construction, right? Bet all your mates from work are sittin' home cozy in front of their tellies right now with their boring wives and equally boring kids. While here you are after a hard day's work, walking around with a chipped vamp looking for baddies in the local graveyard."  
  
They stopped talking as a couple of vamps leapt out at them from behind some bushes. Spike dusted the more aggressive of the two while Xander kept the other one busy. Xander's construction work had helped him become physically stronger. He couldn't handle the vamp as well as Spike. But he'd certainly gone past the days when he could barely keep from getting bitten. After Spike staked the second vamp, they continued on toward the cemetery.  
  
"Lost my smoke," Spike said, pulling out another cigarette. "Anyway, what I'm saying is, you're obviously attracted to Anya as she is or you would have ditched her long ago. Sure, she aggravates you sometimes and you want to bleedin' strangle her. But the truth is, you couldn't live without her. So, why fight it? Give her what you can. And tell her no when things are just bleedin' impossible."  
  
"That's easier said then done."  
  
"Tell me about it." Spike let out a long plume of smoke.  
  
By the time Xander got home, Anya's friend Agatha had gone. But she'd left behind several written notes for Anya to discuss with him.  
  
"Agatha really thinks we need a bigger hall," Anya began, hovering over Xander as he took off his jacket and slipped off his shoes. "I think she's right. The one we ordered will never handle the ice sculpture and the band."  
  
"Band? I thought you wanted a DJ?"  
  
"Oh, no. Agatha says that's far too tacky. We'll need at least a six or seven piece band."  
  
"And ice sculptures? Why do we need ice sculptures? Of what?"  
  
"Swans."  
  
"Swans?"  
  
"Yes, they'll stand at the center of the table with the paté and cold consommé."  
  
Xander closed his eyes and tried to control his tongue. "And how much extra is all this going to cost?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry. It'll only be a few thousand . . . maybe ten. And Agatha reminded me of a few more friends that I should invite."  
  
"More demons?"  
  
"Of course. I met a lot of people during the last thousand years. True, I've grown apart from most of them. But this is really a big day and I want to show you off to everyone." She patted him on the shoulder, more as if he were a dog then a fiancé.  
  
Well, he thought, at least she still wanted to show him off. Her old demon friends hadn't convinced her to dump him yet. "Look. I'll see if I can get the money. But I'm not promising anything. Construction tends to slow down over the winter. It might pick up again in early spring. We'll just have to wait and see."  
  
Anya's lips came up into a pout, but she didn't say anything. She just headed toward the bedroom and closed the door after her. 


	12. Chapter Twelve - Connections

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
Connections  
  
Amy was lying in Rack's waiting room, spread out on the couch in the same clothes she'd worn the last time she'd seen Willow. She'd hoped against hope that if she stayed there long enough, eventually Rack would feel pity toward her. Of course, she was quite mistaken. Pity was not an emotion that Rack was familiar with. No matter how much time went on, he ignored her. He even pushed her back onto the couch roughly at one point when she jumped up and began to beg.  
  
"You know how you can get some, don't you?" Rack said as he motioned to one of his other customers to come in. "Bring Willow and I'll give you a trip you'll never forget."  
  
Amy avoided the looks the other customers were giving her. She just took her place again on the edge of the couch, watching the endless parade go in and out through eyes swollen from crying.  
  
Finally, the traffic through the waiting room lightened up. It usually did when the sun started to rise. By that time Amy had fallen asleep. She didn't notice when another customer came in through the cloaked wall. Of course, if she'd been awake she might still not have noticed him. For he was small and light on his feet and most people who looked at him assumed he was pretty harmless.  
  
The newcomer looked at Amy for a long moment, sizing her up. Then he approached Rack's door and walked in. This was something that none of Rack's regular customers would ever have dared to do. But this particular man was far from regular.  
  
"Oh," Rack said, getting immediately to his feet. "I thought we weren't meeting until tomorrow."  
  
"We're not. But I heard from one of your other clients that you'd been visited by a red headed witch that goes by the name of Willow."  
  
"Ah, my new favorite!" Rack rubbed his hands together as if he were contemplating a tasty meal instead of a person. "She's quite talented. And in my hands . . ."  
  
"When do you expect her back?"  
  
"Well, that's the thing. Amy tells me she's not coming back. That she made a promise to some friends of hers that she wouldn't return. But they all return eventually."  
  
"Is Amy the young witch waiting for you outside?"  
  
"Yes." Rack wasn't surprised that his guest had been able to fathom this. The other man had an especially strong insight.  
  
"There's something almost rodent about her. She wiggles her nose in her sleep as if she had whiskers."  
  
"She was a rat for a while."  
  
"That explains it. Looking at her makes me feel hungry. You say she's a friend of this Willow?"  
  
"Yes, I've been trying to get her to bring Willow back to me. But as I said, so far she's resisting." Rack fell casually onto his couch.  
  
"Maybe you just haven't been offering the right bait," the other man suggested softly. "A desperate messenger won't get anyone to do anything. You need Amy to act confident and deliver the temptation as if nothing in the dimension could be more wonderful. When your little rat witch wakes up later, tell her that you're going to accept her into your inner circle, your special coven."  
  
"What? But she's nothing more then a beginner!" Rack said dismissively.  
  
"Her friend Willow, though, is especially talented."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So . . . invite this Amy to the inner circle and then send her to invite Willow as well. When she goes this time, she will be more impressed with herself. And Willow in turn will be impressed."  
  
Rack's eyes grew wider. "Yes. I see. But why are you so concerned with my little red head?"  
  
"Because she in turn is attached to someone I want. Someone that I owe debt to."  
  
"And who's that?"  
  
"The Slayer." 


	13. Chapter Thirteen - Plans

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
Plans  
  
Dawn and Janice met on the way to school the next day. Dawn's arm was still in a cast, but she was getting quite adept at using it. It was a fine sunny morning and the two young women were in good spirits.  
  
"Did you hear?" Janice started. "Rochelle broke up with Victor."  
  
"No!" Dawn said. What delicious gossip that was. They were the hottest couple in school. "Is she seeing someone else?"  
  
"Not yet. But it's only a matter of time."  
  
"And what about Victor? Is he showing any interest anywhere?"  
  
"Well, I wish it were me he would ask out next."  
  
"Don't you think we're both kinda out of his league?"  
  
Janice stopped in her tracks. "Dawn Summers. Are you saying that you like him too?"  
  
"Sure. I'm no different then anybody else I guess. I mean, he's the big school jock. But I know he'll never notice the likes of me. Guys like him date only the prettiest girl in school. They're like trophies." Dawn started walking again and Janice followed.  
  
"We're pretty," Janice said in their defense.  
  
"Not like Rochelle. She looks like she stepped out of a bloody fashion magazine."  
  
"It's just a matter of having the right accessories. I think you and I should do a little Christmas shopping after school today, down at the mall."  
  
"You mean . . ."  
  
"Yeah, it'll be exciting," Janice said. "It's the big Christmas rush, so we probably won't have to work too hard. I bet that your cast will make it even easier. Just pick out something small like jewelry. Then stick it on the inside of your sling against your chest. It's perfect. I mean, who's going to frisk the poor kid with a broken arm. Let's do it! I need to pick up a couple of things. A new lipstick maybe and a hot new nail polish for my mom. She's so boring with that muted color she wears. I'm ashamed to be seen with her!"  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
While Janice and Dawn were busy making their plans, Xander was giving some adjusted instructions to the workmen at his construction site. His mind, however, was elsewhere. He was wondering how he was ever going to pay for all the extra stuff Agatha had convinced Anya that she needed for the wedding. At lunch he overheard one of the men, a guy named Peter, talking to a couple of others about doing some extra work on the side.  
  
"It pays real well," Peter said, "top dollar." He was a grizzled worker well into his thirties who traveled from job to job.  
  
"Do you get a bonus if you bring on some more men?" one of the other workers asked.  
  
"Well, a bit," Peter admitted. "But not much. They want experienced men to work at night. There's this building downtown that's doing major renovations for a new tenant. What d'ya say?"  
  
"I'm in," Xander said without thinking. Top dollar was something he could use right then. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen - Easy Is as Easy Does

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
Easy is as Easy Does  
  
After school Janice and Dawn made their way down to the department store at the mall. The place was packed with Christmas shoppers. They split up at the door, planning to meet down the block at a corner. Janice headed for the make-up department and Dawn concentrated on the jewelry displays in the center of the busy floor. She considered pins and necklaces. But her eyes were ultimately drawn to a pair of rhinestone earrings. They were beautiful, sparkly but delicate.  
  
Dawn picked up the tiny black box that contained them and glanced around her. The Christmas shoppers bustling past were far too preoccupied to notice what she was doing. The clerk at the nearest counter had no less then five impatient customers waiting. So, it was easy for Dawn to discreetly nudge the little box into her sling in back of her cast. Then, not wanting to push her luck, she immediately retreated from the store.  
  
Janice was already waiting for her at the agreed on corner. "So? How'd you do?" she asked.  
  
"I got a pair of earrings," Dawn said. She pulled them out and held them up for her friend to see. They reflected softly in the quickly fading sunlight. "What do you think?"  
  
"Ooh. They're nice. I got a lip liner and some nail polish. But I think I'll keep the nail polish for myself. I like it far too much to give it away to my mom. What are you going to do with the earrings?"  
  
"I think I'm give them to my sister for Christmas," Dawn said. "She deserves something pretty."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
After work, Xander went with Peter and some of the other guys from the construction site to see about the new job. They were greeted by a couple of very shady looking characters. Xander assumed they were gangsters, at least they sort of looked the part with their dark suits and dark expressions. They said they were acting as go-betweens for another party and were setting things up. The real owners of the space would be visiting only from time to time until the whole project was finished.  
  
"What you're gonna to be doing," one well turned out gangster said, "is to be building lots of little cubicles with windows. That's easy work for you guys. The company that's taking over this space is moving plants up from the rain forests of Brazil. Some of them will be for sale, others they're gonna experiment on, like to see if maybe they have medical use . . . You know, like curing cancer. So, all these cells have control thingys to keep them toasty and damp like in the jungle. Peter here will show you what the finished product looks like. And you, Alexander Harris? . . ."  
  
Xander's eyes opened wide as he focused in tighter on the gangster who was pointing at him. "Yes."  
  
"Peter here says you're a job boss. You can be in charge of this job too. We're gonna start on this side of the hall first." The gangster opened the nearest door off the hallway. We got materials waiting inside for ya."  
  
Xander and the rest got right to work. The money they'd been promised was more then sufficient. Especially since it was all off the books and under the table. Xander figured that whoever was behind this job, was probably smuggling in plants illegally. Maybe even some funny weed or the like. But at the moment he didn't care. He just kept his mind on Anya's ice sculptures.  
  
At the end of the evening, Xander stayed behind to put things away. He was surprised that the two gangster types left him pretty much to himself. Evidently, whatever was going on, they didn't feel very protective or involved in it. In fact, he noticed they totally avoided the doors at the back of the floor. Xander moved around without supervision as he dragged pieces of wall and metal piping from one room to another and put away the tools in the little rooms off to the side. It was late and he was tired. As he dragged things around, he accidentally stepped through one of the wrong doors and lost his way. Carrying two drills under his arm, he went through one door and then another and then another again. Till he suddenly found himself in a big room all the way at the back of the building. It was filled with the same kind of little cells that he and his crew were building.  
  
With a curiosity born of many years of being a Scoobie, he couldn't resist looking into one of them. He saw a large . . . thing that was white and covered ridges. It looked sort of like a white mummy, except that it wasn't wrapped in bandages and it looked alive somehow. Next to the mummy on the floor was a young man, not much older then Dawn that seemed to be asleep. Xander tried to open the door of the cell but it was locked. He banged on the glass, but the young man and the mummy remained unmoved. That's when he started looking into the rest of the cells. They were all filled with one of the white mummy things. And with them was either a human or occasionally a demon of some kind. All the mummy roommates appeared to be lost in sleep. Xander didn't know what he'd found. But it definitely didn't look good.  
  
It seemed like the next thing to do was get out of there and get some help. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen - Invitation to the Inne...

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
1 Invitation to the Inner Circle  
  
Willow was trying very hard to be true to her word. She was spending as much time as possible at home with Dawn in the evening. In fact, she'd been trying to get them to do their homework together at the dining room table as much as possible. She thought it was a good for them both, to help them bond a little again.  
  
"What did you and Janice do after school today," Willow asked, trying to be a good aunt . . . or whatever it was that she was.  
  
"We went Christmas shopping," Dawn answered without looking up from her book.  
  
"Did you get anything good?" Willow asked with an interested smile.  
  
"I got a pair of earrings for Buffy."  
  
"Ooh, that sounds nice. I still have to start my Christmas shopping. I always seem to start late."  
  
"We're going again tomorrow after school," Dawn said.  
  
"Oh. Well, that's nice."  
  
It was at that point that the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Willow said, getting up.  
  
As Willow opened the door, Amy stepped out of the shadows. "What are you doing here?" Willow asked stepping outside so Dawn wouldn't hear their conversation. "You know you're not supposed to be hanging around. You'll get me in trouble."  
  
Amy's whole demeanor was changed from the last time they'd met. She didn't look nervous anymore. Instead she held her head up confidently. "What? Is Buffy your jailer now?" Amy asked snidely.  
  
"No. She a friend, a concerned friend," Willow said, returning snide for snide. "And I'm supposed to be watching her sister. Now, what do you want?  
  
"Rack wanted me to give you an important message. Seems he wants you to join his inner circle, his coven. Only the best and brightest are allowed in there. It's an honor that you simply can't refuse."  
  
"Yes, I can. I can refuse it very easily," Willow returned. But part of her was really taken by the offer. Rack's coven. What kind of power would she find there? "Has he asked you to join?"  
  
"Yes. And I've accepted."  
  
"Congratulations. But I think I'll pass."  
  
"How can you waste your powers like this?" Amy said with disgust. "You're a witch. You were meant to cast spells and put other people in your power."  
  
"That's black magic. White magic says you should do no harm."  
  
"We're not doing anyone any harm. We're just living the way we were meant to."  
  
It was at that moment that Dawn opened the door and stuck her face outside. "Is everything all right," she asked, eyeing Amy suspiciously. "Buffy should be home from work soon."  
  
"I'd better be going then," Amy said, glancing nervously behind her. Word that the Slayer might be appearing at any moment seemed to erode her confidence. "Think about what I said, Willow." And with that she scampered off down the block, keeping to the shadows all the way.  
  
"What was that all about?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Nothing," Willow said, shooing her charge inside.  
  
"I don't like her."  
  
"Oh, she's not so bad, Dawnie. I feel sorry for her actually." And envious, Willow thought. Oh, to feel powerful again, instead of feeling jailed. 


	16. Chapter Sixteen - The Torrado

CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
  
The Torrado  
  
Xander went running through the cemetery screaming at the top of his lungs like the proverbial mad man, "Spike! Spiiiike!!!!" He took a sharp turn around a small mausoleum when the person he was calling for suddenly grabbed him and threw him against it.  
  
"What in bloody hell is wrong with you Harris?" Spike demanded. "I was stalking a three-eyed Loniak demon. Do you know how hard those are to catch? But the way you were shouting, he's probably halfway to the other side of the planet by now. What's the matter? You sound like an escapee from Bedlam."  
  
"There were all these white mummy things in all these little cells," Xander rambled, "and they weren't alone and neither of the gangster guys would go back there and . . ."  
  
"All right, Harris. You're not makin' a lick a sense. Could you give me all this again slow and not garbled."  
  
Xander swollowed hard and took a deep breath. "All right. I told you I was going to take on this extra job to make money so Anya could get her ice sculpture's, right?"  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. That's why I'm out here all alone on patrol. I don't see why Buffy has to work night hours so much at this new job of hers."  
  
"Listen," Xander said, grabbing the lapel of Spike's jacket. "That place I was working in, they're doing something awfully funny there. There are all these mummy things in these little air-controlled rooms. And they have all these people locked in with them. But they're supposed to be holding plants from Brazil, see? Not mummy's and people. And I have a feeling that's why the gangsters don't want to get to close to that other end of the building and didn't bother to monitor me. They know what's going on and even they're afraid of it."  
  
"Harris, you still sound totally off your nut. Calm down and give this to me again."  
  
"I am calm!" Xander said losing it once again. Why couldn't this stupid vamp see? "This is calm! You should have seen the state I was in when I left the building and I realized those gangsters had left me there alone with the mummy things."  
  
It was clear to Spike that he had to do something to mellow Xander out. "Let's go to my place. You can have a drink and tell me the whole thing from the beginning."  
  
Xander nodded his head in sort of a bouncing movement, but he didn't move. Spike had to physically push him in the direction of his crypt. It took an appreciative amount of liquor before Xander was sufficiently mellowed to give Spike a sensible account of what had happened.  
  
"I know what you saw," Spike said at last, sending a smoke ring into the shadowy ceiling of his crypt. "It was a Torrado."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A Torrado. They're part demon, part insect, all nasty. I heard about them when Dru and I were in Brazil. There are a lot of them down there. But I've never heard about any of them coming this way. Must be trying to colonize the place."  
  
"Are they the mummy things?"  
  
"That's their larval form. They grow and develop in that chrysalis until they're ready to break out. And when they do, they're real hungry."  
  
"You don't mean . . ."  
  
"Those people and demons you saw in there with them are probably meant to be their breakfast when they wake up. Torrados are equal opportunity eaters. The only things they don't like are vampires and other formerly dead things. I guess they don't think we're nourishing enough for them."  
  
"Gross!"  
  
"And most of the demons they like to eat are of the harmless variety. I guess because they're easier to catch and put to sleep."  
  
"We've got to go right back and get rid of those things." But Xander's words had more resolve then his body. He got shakily to his feet and immediately sank back down again.  
  
Spike couldn't help but laugh. "Now? At this hour? Without a plan? I admire your courage, Harris, but foolish is as foolish does. You should go home to your future Mrs. And we can talk to Buffy tomorrow and . . ."  
  
"No! I don't want to talk to Buffy about this," Xander insisted.  
  
Spike was surprised. Xander was usually the very first to go running to the Slayer. He assumed that Xander had come to him because he couldn't have gone into Buffy's new job screaming like a sodden madman without taking the chance of getting her fired.  
  
"If we tell Buffy," Xander explained, "Anya will find out . . . and so will all of her little demon girlfriends and . . ."  
  
"Oh, I getcha." It made perfect sense to Spike. "You're afraid they'll use it as ammunition against you, to prove you're less then the perfect man for Anya. probably would too." Spike thought for a moment. Then he slapped his hands on his legs and crushed his cigarette butt beneath his boot. "All right then. We'll have a boy's night out. Sounds like fun. Haven't seen a good torching since the Boxer Rebellion."  
  
"Torching?"  
  
"Yeah. Fire's the easiest way to kill these things, especially in the larval stage. They won't fight back so it should be simple enough. We just wake up their intended meals and torch the place. You got flame- throwers on your construction job, Harris?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, drop a couple here on your way to your second job tomorrow night. Then I'll meet you there after working hours. Bring some kind of blasting powder too. That way we can get a really good blaze going. Hey. I hope you got paid in advance on this job."  
  
Xander closed his eyes. The answer to that question was no. But at the moment, that seemed to be the least of his problems. "How are we gonna wake up the sleeping people?"  
  
"I'm sure they didn't use anything too strong on them or it would affect their own people when they started eating. That means you can probably just slap them awake. Which means of course, that you'll have to do most of the slapping, while I do most of the breaking and entering." 


	17. Chapter Seventeen - Dreams of Power

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
1 Dreams of Power  
  
Warren was sitting alone in his mother's basement putting the final touches on his new reworked ray gun. "It will work this time," he announced to nobody. "And since I'm the one who's going to handle the gun most of the time, I'm the one who's going to absorb most of the power."  
  
He picked up the Diamond of Gunab and stroked it lovingly. It always felt so good in his hands. "And once I have plenty of power, I won't need Andrew and Jonathan anymore, will I? It will just be you and me," he told the diamond. "Just you and me. Just before Christmas will be a perfect time to test the ray gun. Most demons are out getting drunk or fighting. We'll have no trouble picking them off.  
  
Reverently, he slipped the diamond into its place on the gun and hefted it to feel the weight of it. "I can't wait. 


	18. Chapter Eighteen - Extermination

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
  
Extermination  
  
All during the next day Xander was very nervous. Peter and the rest of the men who had worked the site with him the night before, were all happily talking about what they were going to do with the extra money. He alone knew that they'd never be seeing any of it.  
  
When it was time to leave for their second job, Xander told the other men to go on ahead of him. Then he snuck the weaponry he and Spike had discussed the night before and dropped it off at the crypt as promised, giving Spike a crash course on how to operate the flame-throwers.  
  
At the building, Xander's nervousness kept escalating. He was worried that something was up because the gangsters kept their distance from the back even more then they had the night before. Xander wondered if maybe they were expecting the parents of some of those mummy things to pay a visit. He honestly hoped not. He hated to speculate on what the Torrados looked like. He prayed that Spike would get there promptly and that they could dispatch these demon creatures without a hitch.  
  
As everyone was packing to go home at the end of the night, Xander hid himself in the back of the building where the mummy creatures were. Happily, it wasn't too long before he heard doors cautiously opening and a familiar accent whisper his name.  
  
"Harris? Harris . . . Harris, you stupid git, where are you?  
  
"Over here," Xander said stepping out from behind one of the cells. "Did you bring the equipment?"  
  
"Of course," Spike said holding up the two flame-throwers with a glint in his eyes. "I'm ready to roll!"  
  
Spike proceeded to break down the doors of the cells where the Torrados and their intended meals were reclining. Then Xander roused the captives and urged them out of the building as the torching process began. It all went pretty smoothly until three of the adult creatures burst in on them. They each had six legs and enormous pinchers for mouths. Xander froze at the sight of them. But Spike immediately focused his flame-thrower in their direction. They seemed to be afraid of fire.  
  
"Give 'em all ya got, Harris," Spike commanded. And Xander did. Between the two of them they were able to successfully torch one and scare the other two off. "We better be quick," Spike said, "in case they bring back some friends.  
  
In a frenzy they burst into cell after cell, freeing the human captives and torching the Torrado larva. Xander was so intent on the work that it took a while before he realized that Spike was rousing the intended demon dinners as well.  
  
"Hey!" Xander yelled. "We didn't agree on freeing them,"  
  
Spike tossed a small hairy demon toward the exit before answering. "Your prejudice is showing, Harris. None of this lot is dangerous to your kind. And if there's one thing this turncoat has learned since working with you and the Slayer, the less nasty demons can be useful allies. Gotta pick your enemies as well as your friends, Harris. You saw that creature. You think that little thing's gonna jump out at you some night and kill you? That's a Nazari demon. They live in underground caves and eat creepy crawlers. They probably caught that one chasing snakes in the sewers."  
  
"All right, all right. You made your point. But let's hurry. The fire is really starting to spread."  
  
"You think I want to stay here? I'll just torch these last few while you set out the blasting powder."  
  
Xander's practiced hand finished his job quickly. Then he had to scream for what seemed like an eternity before Spike would quit the building. Of course they just barely made it out in time.  
  
"Could you have waited any longer?" Xander asked once they were outside.  
  
"What?" Spike said, rolling his shoulders. "I was just tryin' to be thorough. Didn't want any of those nasties getting' out did ya?"  
  
From a distance they heard the sirens of fire trucks and police cars.  
  
"Better get out of here," Xander said.  
  
Spike led the way around the alley and through to the next block. 


	19. Chapter Nineteen - Port in a Storm

CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
Port in a Storm  
  
Buffy was walking through the cemetery on her own. A fine mist was floating through the air, making her depressive attitude even more depressing. Suddenly a figure flew out of the bushes and tackled her down. A vamp who hadn't known her as well would have been dusted pretty quickly by the Slayer. But Spike knew all of her moves and was able to deftly knock the stake out of her hand as they rolled over and through the damp grass.  
  
"Hello, Luv," Spike said, pinning her to the ground. His eyes were narrow and hungry.  
  
Buffy was unimpressed. "Spike, I was looking for you and Xander. Weren't you supposed to be out on patrol?"  
  
"And aren't you supposed to be at work?"  
  
"I got fired," she said in a pouty voice.  
  
"Oh. Too bad. Good news for me, though. Didn't get to see you nearly enough while you were working there." Spike started to nibble Buffy's neck, first on one side and then on the other.  
  
She closed her eyes, giving into it a bit. She didn't want to admit it, but she'd missed him too. They'd met surreptitiously once for a quickie. It had taken the edge off. But she needed more. "How was patrol," she asked, pulling her head back to give him greater access.  
  
"Just finished. Xander went home to his girl . . . and I came hunting for mine." And with that he kissed her hard on the mouth.  
  
Buffy made a feeble attempt to try and get free, but the way he was grinding into her felt much too pleasant. When his hands started traveling over her, though, she broke the kiss. "Spike, it's cold. The rain."  
  
"Let's go then," he whispered breathlessly in her ear, "my place." He pulled her to her feet and they pawed and kissed the rest of the way to his crypt. Once inside they quickly shed their clothes and retired to his bed downstairs.  
  
The first time they'd been together it had been about various kinds of walls crashing down, the energy of their passion taking them both by surprise. The second time had been about neediness and desperation, and it had taken place quickly on the spur of the moment. Tonight was needy for her again. After all, she'd just come from being fired. But for him . . . Well, he was exuberant and full of energy, as if he'd just successfully slain a whole army of demons. Which, of course, he had.  
  
Spike growled and threw her on his bed, taking complete control. And this time, Buffy let him. The strength and confidence in his lovemaking seemed to banish much of the depression she'd started the night with. It was hard to think the world was over when someone desired you so much.  
  
When they were done, he spooned himself behind her and wrapped his arm possessively around her waist. After which he promptly fell into one of his deep dead sleeps. Buffy lay for a while listening to the rain outside. She was thinking that she should get home. There was absolutely no chance of her spending the night there. She just didn't want to face Willow and Dawn's questions. But still, she thought . . . maybe she could stay just a little longer, till the rain let up a bit.  
  
Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. And without realizing it, she started to stroke Spike's arm. 


	20. Chapter Twenty - The Payback of Useful D...

CHAPTER TWENTY  
  
The Payback of Useful Demons  
  
Two days after the Torrado incident, Xander was attending to his regular duties on the construction site, when he got a call from the owners of the Bronze. Interestingly enough, it was Peter who took the call. Xander had tried his best to comfort the other men who'd been on the Torrado job with him. When they'd heard the news about the big blaze, they'd all been horrified about the loss of income. Christmas and the slow season was coming and in their minds, they'd already spent the money. Xander at least had the comfort of knowing they'd destroyed the Terrado nursery. But he was also haunted by the vision of Anya's ice swans melting and her two demon girlfriends standing on either side of her with their eyes glowing, trying to talk her into turning him into a replacement swan. The thought that he might turn up as a decoration at his own wedding, slowly melting away, was not a comforting one.  
  
"Yeah," Xander said, offhandedly as he picked up the phone in the office.  
  
"Mr. Harris?"  
  
"That's me. How can I help you?"  
  
"My name is McDougall. I'm one of the owners of the Bronze. You were recommended to us. We're starting on some major renovations here and we want you to oversee it. We bought out part of the building next door and we want to break through a couple of walls. Could you come by this afternoon after your usual work hours and discuss it?"  
  
"You want me to supervise the job?"  
  
"Yes. One of our employees recommended you. Said they'd seen some of your work downtown."  
  
Xander thought hard but he couldn't imagine what this McDougall guy was talking about. But he wasn't going to question it. "Sure. Sure, I can do that. I'll drop by your place right after work."  
  
As he hung up the phone it was all he could do to keep from doing a happy dance. But rough tough men on construction sites aren't supposed to do happy dances unless there's a demon somewhere pulling the strings. This could be the extra money he was looking for. He couldn't believe his luck. Of course, it probably wouldn't pay as much money as the shady job. But at least no one would end up as an awakening monster's first meal. And it might get Anya at least one ice swan. He might also be able to hire on a couple of the other men who'd lost out on the shady job.  
  
He showed up at the Bronze after work in record time. Mr. McDougall met him in a side office that he'd never really noticed before. It had a little window that looked out onto the Bronze's main floor. At night it was always dark and deserted. Probably this Mr. McDougall and his partner kept the office only for their occasional day visits. The manager who ran things at night had a smaller office at the back off the kitchen.  
  
McDougall showed Xander the plans that he and his partner had already had done for the job. Xander looked them over and added some suggestions of his own, which impressed McDougall. They were coming near the end of their business, the job virtually Xander's for the taking, when Xander caught sight of one of the Galera demons moving from the kitchen area toward the main entry. He assumed it was a Galera demon because of Spike's story about the new bouncers and Mr. McDougall's obvious lack of concern about this one wandering about his establishment. Also, he and Spike had freed three of them the night before from the Terrado nursery. Xander couldn't help it, he paused to get a closer look at the creature in the brighter light of the Bronze. He wouldn't have agreed completely with Willow's assessment that they looked like a Praying Mantis. There was some of that. But, as far as he was concerned, they had a lot of space alien in them too, with their smooth slimy looking skin and more human heads. They weren't as insect-like as the adult Terrado's had been.  
  
Mr. McDougall saw Xander's stare and said, "Do you know him?"  
  
"No," Xander answered truthfully.  
  
"Well, he knows you. Says he heard about how good a construction boss you were and suggested you for the job."  
  
"Ah," Xander said noncommmitedly with a nod.  
  
After shaking hands with McDougall and packing up the papers he would need to study in preparation for the job, Xander started out of the Bronze. The Galera demon he'd seen earlier was still near the entrance. He felt a little strange, but he thought he had to say something. He paused next to the demon uncertainly, a little afraid to look into it's large liquid eyes. Conferring with demons was not something that came easy to him. "I hear you recommended me for the job," Xander said. "I just wanted to say thank you."  
  
"The Galera pay their debts," the demon said. "You're with the Slayer."  
  
"Yeah," Xander said, wondering how Buffy's name had gotten into this.  
  
"We will remember." And with that he disappeared out into the alley to take his nightly position in the alley's darkest spot.  
  
Xander raised his eyebrows as he watched the Galera's retreating back. I guess he's not much for conversation, he said to himself.  
  
- - - - - - -  
  
Later that night, the entire group of Scoobies, except for Tara and Dawn, went on a vamp stake-out at the mall downtown. With all the Christmas shoppers the local bloodsuckers were grouping to take advantage. Buffy was still irritated about the loss of her job and slaying seemed the best outlet . . . next to Spike that is. They fanned out around a quiet entrance not too far from where Dawn and Janice had been "shopping" earlier that day. And they picked off the vamps as they tried to pick off the shoppers.  
  
In-between stakings, the group faded back into the shadows to wait. Xander made a point of getting Spike to himself so he could tell him about the Galera demon's recommendation.  
  
"Yeah, I saw one of those buggers late last night," Spike said with an offhanded roll of his shoulder. "Seems they're real grateful we saved some of their lot from a terrible death and all. A lot of those lesser demons are real clannish. You know, you do for one of my kind, you do for me and all that. That's how they survive against the real Big Bads, sticking together. A lot of them don't even consider themselves demons. They think of theirselves more as hybrids." Spike laughed and shook his head. "They can call themselves what they like. But I've found they come in handy to play a hand of poker with. And they like a good brawl as much as the next guy. Also, they can be plied for info if you play 'em right. Anyhow, this Galera heard about what happened and he said the Galera's pay their debts."  
  
"That's what he said to me."  
  
"I told him you were looking round for construction related work, cos you'd lost out because of the whole Terrado deal. I also told him I wouldn't mind standing in for one of 'em on the odd night over at the Bronze as a demon bouncer." Xander's eyebrows rose in surprise and Spike added quickly, "Not because I'm looking for a real job, you understand. But just in case I need some green for blood and smokes."  
  
Xander pushed his lower lip out and nodded. An occasionally working Spike made more sense then a seriously working one. He figured Spike was doing it mostly in hopes of diving into an alley brawl. "And these Galera demons are not dangerous to humans?"  
  
"You think the owners of the Bronze would have them working there if they were?"  
  
"I guess not."  
  
"They're perfect for working in a restaurant or a bar. Not only do they keep a sharp eye out. But they help keep down the usual restaurant vermin."  
  
"You mean they eat . . ."  
  
"They're a walking exterminating service."  
  
"Eeww!" Xander said.  
  
"What? You prefer they eat your lot then?"  
  
"One other question, how come they knew I had a connection to Buffy?"  
  
"Oh," Spike said, "they make it their job to know who hangs with who at the Bronze."  
  
"But I haven't been there since the dancing demon came through town."  
  
"Then I must have mentioned it. You know . . . that we were doing the Slayer's work when we were torching that crib."  
  
Xander accepted this explanation, especially since another two vamps had jumped out of the shadows and the chase was on.  
  
- - - - - - -  
  
After the mall went dark for the night, Buffy officially called an end to the patrol. "One of these evenings I'm going to have to come here as an ordinary shopper," Buffy said as they walked away. "I've got to start up my own Christmas shopping. I want Dawn to have a good Christmas this year."  
  
Anya and Xander were the first two to break off from the group. They said their good nights, followed a few blocks later by Spike.  
  
"Well, see you ladies tomorrow maybe," he said, glancing quickly at Buffy. She barely exchanged looks with him. It was abundantly clear that she intended to go home with Willow.  
  
"Night," Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, tomorrow," Willow said.  
  
Buffy and Willow's conversation was basically about nothing as they finished their walk home alone together. They were both on their best behaviour, trying to put the incident with Rack behind them. Willow tried asking if Buffy was sad about losing her job, but Buffy passed it off as unimportant. They started running out of things to say by the time they walked through the front door of Buffy's house.  
  
Tara was sitting up in the living room studying. It was very late by then and Dawn had already gone to bed. "Well, how did things go tonight?" Tara asked, gathering up her things.  
  
"Good," Buffy said, "We made the world safe for shopping."  
  
Willow and Tara exchanged uncertain looks much like the ones that Buffy and Spike had exchanged earlier. There were lots of feelings being kept under wraps. And no one wanted to expose themselves.  
  
"So, Willow," Tara said, quickly getting herself to the door. "Are you going out with them again tomorrow on patrol?"  
  
"Yeah, maybe. I think Buffy kinda needed me out there tonight."  
  
"Not really," Buffy said. "We don't need you, unless you really want to come."  
  
Willow was taken back and uncertain.  
  
It was Tara who saw what was really going on. Buffy was trying to give Willow lots of space because that's what she thought she needed. But what Willow really needed was to feel wanted. "I'm sure Buffy could really use your help, she's just trying not to crowd you," Tara suggested to her ex- lover. Then she turned to Buffy. "I'll bet Willow's help would really come in handy."  
  
Buffy got the hint. "Oh . . . Oh, yeah. We could really use you with the Christmas rush and all. But if you'd really rather be doing other things. I don't want you to feel obligated."  
  
"It's not an obligation," Willow said. "I want to help."  
  
And to be needed, Tara finished to herself. She wondered if maybe she should have a talk with Buffy. It was clear that the two old friends were having trouble communicating with one another. It was a sensitive time for them both. "So, you guys go on patrol and I'll drop by sometime in the evening to look in on Dawn," Tara said.  
  
"Sounds good," Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah," Willow agreed.  
  
Tara let herself out into the cool night with a sigh. Her mind was so full of thoughts about Willow that she didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her. When Spike suddenly started walked next to her she gasped and dropped all of her books.  
  
"Sorry, pet," he said honestly contrite, "Didn't mean to startle. I thought I was making enough noise walking up behind you."  
  
"I . . . I was just thinking of something else."  
  
Spike knelt with her to pick up the fallen books. Then he handed them to her one by one as she composed herself. "I wanted to ask a favor," he went on. Tara looked so spooked, he thought it was best to tell her his business as quickly as possible.  
  
Tara avoided his eyes and concentrated on alligning her books. She couldn't imagine why Spike would be coming to ask her any favors.  
  
"You see, I want to buy a Christmas present for Dawn and Buffy this year. And I'd like you to help me."  
  
Now Tara looked at him . . . fully, with just a hint of shock. In fact, she was perhaps seeing him for the first time. "A Christmas present?"  
  
"I know what I want to get Buffy. But I'm not sure of where to get it. And Dawn, well, who would know better what to get for the Niblet then you. You spend more time with her then I do nowadays."  
  
Tara stood speechless gazing at him for a moment longer. "Sure. Sure. What kinds of things did you have in mind?"  
  
And the two of them walked off down the street in the direction of Tara's apartment. 


	21. Chapter Twenty-One - Rememberance of Pow...

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
  
Remembrance of Powers Past  
  
  
  
It was finally the night before the night before Christmas. Many of Sunnydale's demon population was getting drunk and depressed. Others were getting more aggressive.  
  
Buffy and her Scoobies had a full fight on their hands in the cemetery with a group of very hairy demons with elongated teeth. They reminded Buffy of some kind of movie monster that she'd seen long ago. She just couldn't remember which one. She and Spike led the frontal assault, while Xander, Anya, and Willow picked off the stragglers. Buffy and Spike were enjoying the teamwork, often throwing demons back and forth to one another and making cryptic remarks.  
  
At one point, Buffy found herself fighting off four demons while Spike had only two. "Here, Spike," she said kicking one of her opponents in his direction, "I don't think you have enough to do over there!"  
  
"Gee, thanks Slayer," he quipped back.  
  
Buffy dispatched two of the demons she was fighting pretty easily. But the third was the biggest, nastiest member of the gang. He managed to knock her small sword out of her hand and after that, the two of them just seemed to be endlessly trading blows. Spike finished off his three and leaned against a tombstone.  
  
"Don't just stand there," Buffy said to Spike, as she struggled with the leader demon.  
  
"Why not?" Spike asked, "you seem to have everything under control."  
  
Buffy growled and threw her opponent at Spike, knocking both her lover and the leader demon to the ground. "OK. I'm getting tired of this," she said, recovering her weapon.  
  
Spike and the demon traded blows till they both reached their feet again. At which point, Spike sent the demon back into Buffy's waiting blade. With him dispatched, the field of battle was officially won.  
  
"You might have given me some warning that you were going to do that," Spike said, with irritation.  
  
"What and ruin the surprise?" Buffy returned.  
  
Buffy and Spike continued trading quips while Xander and Anya started picking up stray weapons. Willow was standing off by herself in the shadows. She had hoped that patrolling with everybody again would make her feel better. But it only served to make her feel more sidelined. She couldn't help but remember the patrols during the summer without Buffy. Then she'd been the one to lead, standing apart from everyone else and giving orders. Even Giles had accepted her leadership. That had felt so powerful. Now she felt worthless.  
  
If only Tara had been there. In the old days they would have joined together in casting spells during the combat. That would have been fun. They could have sent the demons dangling into the air or even changed one of them into a sprig of holly in honor of the season. Instead she was standing off by herself, just occasionally lending help to Xander and Anya. But they didn't really need her. There was this silent communication between them that made them work well together. They just knew what the other was going to do and so acted in tandem. For that matter, the same was true with Buffy and Spike. Even when Buffy threw that leader demon unexpectedly into Spike, there was some unspoken understanding between them that he was supposed to distract the demon while Buffy prepared for the final blow. Spike was still complaining about it, but Willow suspected it was just because he liked to complain.  
  
"OK, everybody," Buffy said, rubbing her hands off on her pants, "gather round. I just want to remind you all that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and Dawn is expecting everyone to be at our little Christmas party, no exceptions. This has been a really horrible year and it's important to her that everyone be at this party pretending to be happy."  
  
"Will Tara be there?" Willow asked.  
  
"Absolutely. Everybody means everybody." She flashed a shy look in Spike's direction. "It's for Dawn's sake. Christmas is supposed to be for children, after all."  
  
"Right," Xander said. "Even for children who live on the Hellmouth."  
  
Willow wondered if she wouldn't have a better time if maybe Amy were there. But she knew better then to ask.  
  
"Well, that's a wrap," Buffy announced. "I think it's time to call it a night."  
  
"Good idea," Xander agreed. "I think I've had it."  
  
"And my hair is a mess," Anya said, patting it back into shape. She was a redhead again for the moment. She still hadn't decided yet what shade would go best with her wedding dress against the background of the reception hall. Had to be ready for those wedding pictures, after all. They were going to grace their livingroom for fifty years maybe. She wanted to look perfect in them.  
  
"Yeah," Willow said, "I've got some homework to do."  
  
Spike said nothing. He and Buffy looked at each other for a moment. They hadn't been together since the night of the Torrado blaze and that had been about two weeks before. There was longing in their gaze and uncertainty.  
  
But there wasn't any doubt in Buffy's voice as she suddenly said, "Goodnight," and then turned to walk away with Willow.  
  
"Goodnight," Xander and Anya returned.  
  
Spike said nothing; he just stood as all of them walked away. Buffy could feel him watching her as she and Willow continued onward. But she didn't look back.  
  
"So, how's school going," Buffy asked Willow, trying to sound as casual as possible.  
  
"OK. Midterms are over, but I've been working on this special make up assignment. I missed a couple of classes during . . . well, you know. And a couple of tests. I already made up one. But the other professor wants a report instead. I'm supposed to hand it in tomorrow so he can read it over the holidays."  
  
"Sounds busy."  
  
"Yeah." Willow didn't want to say it, but patrolling lately had set her schoolwork behind. "I've got several hours of work to do tonight. At least you can go home and rest now."  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said. But in truth she didn't really want to rest. She still had lots of energy to get rid of. Rest? It didn't sound like much fun to her. Suddenly Buffy grabbed Willow's arm. "Did you hear that?"  
  
Willow listened hard. "Hear what?" she whispered.  
  
"There it is again."  
  
"I don't hear anything."  
  
"I'll bet we missed one of those demons and now he's following us home."  
  
"You think?"  
  
Buffy leaned close to her friend. "You go on ahead and I'll double back and get him," she whispered. "And then I'll just do a quick patrol."  
  
"You sure you don't need my help?"  
  
"Naw. One little demon? It'll be easy."  
  
"OK, if you're sure." Willow tiptoed off. She went a block or two before she stopped looking around behind her. She figured Buffy must have caught the demon. Otherwise, if the demon had caught Buffy, it would have come after her next.  
  
Willow shook her head as she thought about all the work still ahead of her that night. How was she supposed to get all of it done? Of course, if she used magic, it wouldn't be all that hard. Course, she wasn't supposed to use magic. But if she did, she could have the whole thing completed within an hour and then be able to get a whole night's sleep. And wasn't Dawn counting on her to do most of the cooking for the party? Dawn's arm was doing much better now. But still, she was going to need Willow to do most of the work. Maybe using magic just this once would be OK. After all, it wasn't really for her. She was doing it for Dawn, to make up. The more Willow thought about it, the more sensible the idea seemed.  
  
Tara was in the livingroom watching television when Willow walked into Buffy's house. Tara of course, had all of her schoolwork totally under control. She always did.  
  
"Where's Buffy?" Tara asked, turning off the television and rising to her feet.  
  
"She wanted to do a little extra patrolling. She thought she heard something following us."  
  
"Oh," Tara said. There was an awkward moment. Then she said, "Goodnight," and let herself out.  
  
Willow was glad to have her gone. She felt guilty having Tara there, as if her ex-lover could read her mind and would know what she was planning to do. Now, Willow thought. Just a little magic and I can put that old book report behind me. Then, I'll have lots of time tomorrow to spend with Dawnie.  
  
- - - - - - -  
  
Meanwhile, Buffy had made her way back to the cemetery. She hadn't actually heard anyone (or anything for that matter) following them. She had merely used that as an excuse to send Willow home. She was the one who was actually engaged in stalking.  
  
Spike had stayed at the spot where everyone had left him for a couple of minutes, hoping that Buffy might return. Then he lit up a cigarette and slowly started back to his crypt. Buffy was able to catch up to him easily. But she didn't approach right away. She was careful to keep a good distance so his strong vampire senses wouldn't be alerted. Then, as he was nearing home, she tossed a large rock to his left side while she crept up on his right. And she jumped him and threw him to the ground.  
  
"What's the matter, Slayer?" Spike asked as they rolled to a stop, with her on top of him. "Didn't get enough exercise?"  
  
"No," she said clutching his coat. "Did you?"  
  
"I could go a few rounds."  
  
Buffy got to her feet and pulled him up after her. "Me too," she said as she tossed him to the ground again. He responded by knocking her legs out from under her.  
  
And so the games began. They were all rough and tumble, up and down the area in front of Spike's crypt. It wasn't really violent. It was more like sparring, like training, but with a sexual edge to it. They dodged each other's punches and landed a few. They threw each other over tombstones and then wrestled on the ground. Since each knew the other's moves so well, they had to think hard to find new methods of attack.  
  
Eventually the wrestling turned to the loosening of clothing and they stumbled off into Spike's crypt. They weren't above a quick coupling in the grass. But both seemed more in the mood for something a little longer and more undressed. In their eagerness, they discarded their clothes and used them as a makeshift blanket. Their heavy breathing and other assorted cries echoed off the sides of the crypt as they continued tussling on the floor.  
  
When they were finally sated, Buffy started to pull away from Spike. But he grabbed her hands and pulled her back to him. They stared at each other in the dim light, grappling now with their eyes, instead of their bodies. Spike seemed determined to have his way. And Buffy wasn't quite sure what he wanted at first.  
  
Tentatively, he pulled her toward him till her left arm was over his chest and her head was on his shoulder. Her body was tense, but she let him guide her into position. It was strange because in a way this arrangement was so much more intimate then anything else they'd done that night. She stayed in his arms for several minutes, never actually comfortable, but still not moving. If he could have seen her eyes at that point, he would have seen fear and uncertainty. But still she stayed, at least for a bit. When she finally moved, he didn't challenge it. He remained where he was while she dressed and left, without saying a word.  
  
When Buffy finally arrived home, she found the porch and stair lights on but nothing else. She figured that Willow had finished writing her report for school. Well, Buffy thought, at least it hadn't taken her too long. 


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two - Transference

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
  
Transference  
  
While Buffy and her crew were fighting the furry demons with the funny teeth, the Troika were doing some demon hunting of their own. They were sitting outside the downtown demon bar in their van, waiting for a demon so they could try out their new power transference gun.  
  
Finally an especially strong looking demon came out. He was very lizardlike, with horny ridges on either side of his head. Warren prepped his gun, sticking its muzzle unobtrusively out the door of the van. He didn't want to be seen by the monster and have it charge him.  
  
"Hang on to something, guys," Warren whispered, "In case there's a ricochet of power."  
  
Andrew and Jonathan did as they were told and Warren pulled the trigger. A ray of blue light shot out of the gun and enveloped the demon. But it didn't have any effect. The demon noticed the change in the light around him, but it only caused him to hesitate for a second before he continued on down the alley. Warren kept holding down the trigger and the blue light continued to shine. But that was all. The demon kept getting further away till he turned a corner and disappeared.  
  
"So," Andrew whined, "this doesn't work either? Are you sure you know what you're doing?"  
  
"Yes," Warren said. "Absolutely. It should work. Maybe he's just the wrong type of demon."  
  
Jonathan shook his head doubtfully. But they'd come this far. "Well," he said, "maybe we should test it out on a few other demons."  
  
And so they did. They came across a group of vampires attacking some youthful carolers. Again from the safety of the van door, Warren trained the ray gun on one of the vampires that had just finished killing one of the young men. The gun covered the vamp in a blue light just as before. And once again that caught the vamp's attention for a moment. But it did little else.  
  
Andrew sighed again, louder this time. Jonathan looked disappointed.  
  
"Maybe it just doesn't work on vamps," Warren suggested.  
  
So, they found a group of mixed demons having a fight over a game of kitten poker just outside of an abandoned building. Warren once again shot at them from the cracked door of the van. But again it had no effect.  
  
"It just doesn't work!" Andrew yelled. "Face it. I say we sell the diamond and concentrate on other things. We're wasting time."  
  
"NO!" Warren returned. "We are not selling the diamond."  
  
"What kind of weird thing do you have going with that diamond, anyway?" Andrew asked. "We've noticed you talking to it on more then one occasion."  
  
"Yeah," Jonathan agreed. "It's getting kinda weird."  
  
"No one is selling this diamond," Warren insisted. "Do you hear? It DOES work! I know it. We just have to find out how."  
  
"I say sell it!" Andrew yelled back.  
  
"NO!" Warren screamed again. And without thinking, he aimed the ray gun at Andrew and fired. The same blue glow enveloped him that had enveloped all the demons, but with a difference. This time it had an effect. Andrew's face immediately started to contort in pain. He scratched at the air around him as if trying to escape the blue glow. Then his body stiffened and he let out a faint cry. He went limp after that, but his body didn't fall. It was as if the blue light was holding him up. That's when he started to shrivel.  
  
Warren shook as the gun absorbed Andrew's energy and his knowledge and transferred it into him. Andrew's body shriveled and collapsed in on itself till there was nothing left of him but a strange balled up wad of something. Then the blue light of the gun dissipated. Warren stood swaying slightly as he took in the change that had just happened to his body.  
  
Jonathan, of course, was in total shock. His mouth was open, but he was unable to say or do anything.  
  
"Wow!" Warren said at last. "Andrew knew a fair amount of magic. More then I did."  
  
"You . . . You've got Andrew's knowledge?" Jonathan asked fearfully.  
  
"Yeah. All of his power got transferred to me. Whatta rush!"  
  
Jonathan's breathing picked up and he felt a sudden urge to jump out of the van and run.  
  
"You know of course that we were just using the gun on the wrong people," Warren continued, "It obviously doesn't work on demons, only humans. Do you know what this means?"  
  
"Uh . . . no," Jonathan said.  
  
"The Slayer, she's human. I could use this gun to transfer her power to me."  
  
Jonathan shifted nervously from one foot to the other, "Yeah, I guess we could."  
  
"No . . . I could. It's my gun and I'm the one who gets her power. Let's put it to a vote."  
  
Jonathan's eyes opened wide. "A . . . a vote?"  
  
"Yes." Warren laughed. "And it doesn't matter how you vote, because both Andrew and I vote yes."  
  
Jonathan shuffled his feet some more. "OK . . . Then I guess I might as well vote yes too."  
  
"Good idea," Warren said, clapping his friend across the back. "I'm glad you agree with us. Now, we'd better get back." He put the ray gun away lovingly in its canvas covering. "My mom's having guests over for the holidays. Otherwise I'd go over to Buffy's right now. But I'm afraid I'll just have to put it off for a bit."  
  
"Yeah. OK," Jonathan said, wishing he could get away. 


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three - Christmas Eve

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
  
Christmas Eve  
  
The Christmas Eve party at Buffy's was a very quiet affair. Willow and Tara stayed pretty much on opposite sides of the room. Spike and Buffy weren't quite sure how to act around each other. So they acted shyly polite. Xander was a little glum. The life of the party was Anya, talking about the wedding. Dawn also seemed in good spirits. She was glad to have all the people she loved best (except for Giles) around her.  
  
Willow and Dawn had prepared most of the food. Anya brought some party favors. Evidently, they had an oversupply of chicken's feet again at the Magic Box and she decided to give one to each of the guests, with a festive red ribbon tied around it. Everyone accepted her gift politely, without even one caustic remark. They were all trying to be on their best behavior.  
  
Giles of course could not be there. But he sent a package of small gifts and notes for everybody but Spike. Poor Spike. If you didn't count the chicken's foot, Dawn was the only one to give him a gift. It was a small silver cigarette lighter, which he was absolutely delighted with.  
  
"Thanks, Niblet," Spike said. "I'll put it to good use right away."  
  
"It's really from both me and Buffy," Dawn said.  
  
But of course Spike knew better. He gave Dawn a CD of some group of teenage singers he'd never heard of.  
  
"Oh!" the teenager squealed, "how did you know! That's exactly what I wanted." She threw her arms around Spike and kissed his cheek. "I can't wait to play it."  
  
From her spot further in the corner, Tara smiled. She'd taken Spike shopping for the gift, of course, and she was glad to see it appreciated. It had been a strange trip. Spike obviously felt out of place in a mall, even a little frightened of it. But the hip California record shop was just the place for someone with his swagger. In no time, he got directions on where to find Dawn's fave group and had purchased the CD that she was now so thrilled with.  
  
Dawn had a present for everyone. She gave Tara a cat shaped pin and Willow a loose bracelet of purple beads. She gave Xander a tie clasp and Anya a refrigerator magnet in the shape of a cash register. Of course she also gave Buffy the rhinestone earrings.  
  
Buffy oohed and ahhed over the earrings and immediately put them on. "They're beautiful," she told her sister lovingly. "What a thoughtful gift. But I think you spent too much money. You must have raided your bank account. Mom wanted you to leave it untouched for college, remember?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Dawn answered. "They cost practically nothing. Really. I just wanted you to have something pretty."  
  
"Well, I love them. And I love you." Buffy swept her little sister into an embrace.  
  
At some point during the evening Spike caught Buffy alone in the kitchen. "I have something for you, Slayer," he said.  
  
"But I didn't get you anything," she said. "Everything's so busy. You know how it is." Of course being busy wasn't the real reason. Buffy just wasn't sure exactly how Spike fit into her life at that point. Getting him a gift seemed too relationshippy for her.  
  
"I wasn't sure that you would. But I thought you should have this. Tara helped me pick it out. She helped me buy Niblet's gift too."  
  
Buffy wondered how much Spike had told Tara about them. Or how much she'd assumed. But she said nothing. Instead she opened the little package he'd handed her and pulled out a pendant on a black string. The stone of the pendant was brown and carved in the shape of a flying eagle.  
  
"Tara said that eagles represent healing. And of course it also ties into your visit to the Guide. The stone is agate and that's what I really wanted to get you. It's supposed to be good for healing, protection, strength and courage. Brown agate is supposed to be especially good for warriors, to give them victory in battle. I thought it would be a perfect stone for a slayer."  
  
Buffy's fingers rubbed the cool smooth stone. "It's beautiful, Spike. But I don't think I can take it."  
  
"Why not," he said, his face a mixture of hurt and rising anger. He was fully expecting another put down from her.  
  
"I . . . I don't have anything for you," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "And besides, how did you get it?"  
  
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're saying. I filled in for one of the Galera demons down at the Bronze a couple of times, as a demon bouncer."  
  
Buffy looked at him doubtfully.  
  
"No, I did. Ask Harris if you don't believe me."  
  
"Xander?" Buffy looked at him with open suspicion.  
  
"No, really. We did this little service for the Galera, Harris and me. They paid us back by letting me work for one of 'em. And they put recommended him to the owners at the Bronze for some construction."  
  
Buffy's eyebrows knitted closely together.  
  
"Course Harris doesn't have any real contact with the Galera," Spike said, answering her unasked questions. "So he hasn't heard any gossip about us, if that's what you're going to ask. I think he finds their green faces off putting."  
  
"You and Xander did something for the Galera demons?"  
  
"Nothing much. Just a little something. That's the way it's supposed to work, Slayer. You do something for someone and they're supposed to pay you back with a thank you or a favor."  
  
Buffy looked down at the pendant again. "It's beautiful."  
  
"Put it on."  
  
The black string was just long enough to pull on over her head. She slipped it on and straightened it. "Beautiful," Spike said, leaning toward her. But he didn't mean the pendant.  
  
Of course Dawn would have to pick that moment to come into the kitchen. She looked at the tableau in front of her and felt she'd interrupted something. Buffy and Spike immediately moved away from each other. And Buffy seemed flustered.  
  
"I just came in to get some more dip," Dawn said. "There's some in the refrigerator."  
  
"I'll get it," Buffy offered quickly.  
  
"No," Dawn insisted pushing past them, "I'll get it."  
  
Buffy looked up briefly at Spike, thoughtfully rubbing the little brown eagle. Then she fled for the livingroom. Spike followed, giving her plenty of room. Buffy went to sit on the floor next to a broody Willow. And Spike took a chair next to Tara, who smiled encouragingly. She could see something was going on between Buffy and Spike. She hadn't asked too much about the gift when she'd helped him pick it out. But she instinctively knew it was important to him. At least Buffy had accepted it. Since her own break up with Willow, she so desperately wanted to see someone happy.  
  
Buffy didn't speak to Spike for the rest of the party. In fact, she never came near him again. Anya and Xander were the first to leave. Then Willow excused herself and went up to her room. Tara took that as her cue. She said the proper goodnights to Spike, Buffy, and Dawn. Then she headed out.  
  
"I've got to go too," Spike said. He patted Dawn's shoulder by way of a farewell and then he and Buffy exchanged shy goodnights.  
  
As the door shut behind Spike, Dawn said, "I'll start bringing things out to the kitchen."  
  
"Yeah, you do that," Buffy said. Then as her sister disappeared into the back of the house, she immediately ran for the door. "Spike!" Buffy called as she closed the door behind her. He hadn't gotten very far. Just down the three stairs off the porch. Buffy didn't say anything. She just threw herself into his arms and kissed him. They kissed hungrily for a second and then he extended the kisses over her face and neck.  
  
At that point, Dawn had finished bringing out the first load of junk. When she came back into the livingroom she fully expected to see her sister either piling up plates or lying on the couch in exhaustion. But there was no one there. "Buffy?" she called. She didn't say it too loud because she didn't want to attract Willow's attention upstairs. Willow was obviously in a bad mood and she figured it was best to leave her alone.  
  
Dawn vaguely thought she'd heard the front door open and close as she'd been on her way out of the livingroom before. But she wasn't sure. She wondered if sister was hanging out on the porch. She looked out the lowest of the three panes of glass on the door to see if Buffy was outside. In the yellow light of the porch and the white Christmas lights she'd strung up that morning, she saw Buffy and Spike quite clearly. Their mouths were fused together in a deep kiss and their hands were roaming over each other in a very intimate fashion. It didn't look like a casual Christmas kiss. Nor did it look like a casual grope. Their bodies were moving together in a very comfortable synchronization. Dawn didn't have a lot of experience in the romance department. But she knew enough to know that what she was looking at was something that had been going on for a while.  
  
She pulled away from the window stunned. She knew how Spike felt about her sister of course. But when had Buffy decided that she felt something too? Whatever was going on, she didn't think it was her place to say anything. At least not yet. Better to pretend that nothing had happened.  
  
And so, Dawn picked up another load of dirty dishes and piloted them toward the kitchen. She planned to stay in there and tidy until Buffy finally came back in. Not too much time passed by before she did.  
  
"Oh, good," Buffy said. "I see you have everything under control."  
  
"Yeah. And how are you doing," Dawn asked pointedly.  
  
"Fine. I was just thinking that I might do a little patrolling before bedtime."  
  
Dawn turned and looked at her sister thoughtfully. "Right. Patrolling."  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Nothing. So you're going patrolling? By yourself?"  
  
"Well . . . yeah."  
  
"Will it be a quickie, or are you planning to stay out for a while?" Dawn asked, her voice dripping with teenaged attitude.  
  
Buffy, of course, didn't understand her sister's tone. "I really don't know. But if you don't want me to go, I won't."  
  
"No. That's all right. I don't want to ruin your fun. But I don't like being left out of things, that's all."  
  
"You want to go patrolling?" Buffy asked. Dawn never wanted to go patrolling.  
  
"No . . . I . . . No. Go ahead. You deserve to have some fun. Just don't be too late. OK?"  
  
"OK," Buffy said, thoroughly mystified. "You sure you don't want me to stay here?"  
  
"No. Go ahead. I'll straighten up."  
  
Buffy nodded quietly and left her sister to herself. Then she grabbed a coat and went back outside. Spike was waiting for her at the edge of the shadows.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked, seeing the look on her face.  
  
"Dawn. She was acting strange just now."  
  
"Maybe you should stay here with her then."  
  
"No. She practically insisted I go. Said I deserved to have some fun."  
  
"Fun? . . . Are you sure she doesn't know something . . . about us?"  
  
"She couldn't."  
  
"Could she have seen us just now out here?"  
  
"No way. She was off in the back of the house with this huge pile of dirty dishes."  
  
It was Spike's turn to look doubtful. "You should tell her."  
  
"Tell her what?"  
  
"You know what. Or do you intend to keep me as your dirty little secret for the rest of whatever? I told you, Slayer, I don't want to play these games."  
  
Buffy looked down at her shoes. She didn't have an answer for that. Part of her did want to keep it a secret. But she knew she couldn't. Things had been going too far for that. Sooner or later the truth would come out, to all her friends and to Dawn. She was dreading it. But it was coming. The only way to keep it from happening would be to stay away from Spike. And she didn't seem incapable of doing that.  
  
"You should at least tell the Niblet," Spike said. "Teenage hormones have a way of driving things out of proportion."  
  
"Which is why I don't want to tell her."  
  
"But she'll feel hurt later that you didn't. Why is it you have such trouble talking to people?"  
  
Again Buffy had no answer. Instead she said, "I don't feel much like patrolling now."  
  
"Fine," Spike said, angrily. He turned and started walking away. "Merry bloody Christmas."  
  
Buffy breathed a loud angry sigh. "I'll tell her."  
  
Spike stopped, but he didn't turn around to face her.  
  
"Just not right away," Buffy continued. "After the holidays."  
  
It wasn't much, but it was something. For Buffy, it was actually a lot. "You coming, then?" Spike asked.  
  
With another sigh, Buffy walked up to him. "Yes."  
  
And so they began their silent walk toward Spike's crypt.  
  
He was thinking that he was getting to a point where he wanted all this out in the open. She belonged to him. And he wanted everyone to know that. Not just the bloody Galera demons at the Bronze.  
  
Meanwhile, she was wondering what she was getting herself into. Why was she doing this? What would her friends say when they found out? What would Dawn say? And how did she feel about all of it anyway?  
  
At some point, Spike caught Buffy's right hand in his left and they entwined their fingers loosely together. It was the best way he could think of to bridge the distance between them. And she allowed it, not quite knowing why. 


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four - The Wages of Venge...

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  
  
The Wages of Vengeance  
  
It was the mid-1920's, a time for bootleg gin, flappers, a raging stock market and silent movies. Halcyon was a witch of uncertain age, but the liberal touches of gray in her dark hair and the faint lines on her face advertised that she was no longer young. She was a talented seer with a limited ability to travel through time. And she sold her talents for money, which many wiccans frowned upon.  
  
On this particular evening, she was standing in the home of her latest customer. He was an immensely wealthy man who had made his fortune in the illegal manufacture and selling of gin. She was gazing into her three- legged iron caldron, using it as if it were a crystal ball. It was filled with water and in its dark depths she was able to see things in time and space that most people could not.  
  
"I've found her," Halcyon said. "She is somewhere not far in the future. It is as the cards said. She is human."  
  
"Good, good," her customer said. He patted his elegant silk smoking jacket with satisfaction. "This time revenge can be mine. Can you take me and say two of my men to this future time?"  
  
"I can," Halcyon answered. She looked up at him for a moment, then quickly turned away. Even she, with all the unnatural things she had seen, could not bear to look at him.  
  
"When can we leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow. Traveling is easiest just before the moon is full. But we must return before the moon begins waning."  
  
Halcyon's customer laughed. "How much time do we need to kill one little vengeance demon that's become human? You can scout out the place where she works to make certain she no longer has her demon powers. Then my men and I will pounce. We will either leave her dead, or we will leave her looking ugly like me, so she will have to hide as I have had to all these years. My men caught up with Pansy. Now it is Anyanka's turn." The man turned from Halcyon and stared out at the limitless snow in front of his rural mansion. This was where he basically hid himself from the world, allowing only a chosen few to see what he really looked like. It was a sumptuous place. But it was really his prison. "How could that little nothing of a woman have ever thought there could have been anything between us? I was showing Pansy a kindness, nothing more. She should have known that. What right did she have to call down vengeance on me? She wasn't beautiful and she had no place in society." The man sighed deeply with the remembrance. "I was just showing her a kindness." 


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five - Hopes and Wishes

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE  
  
Hopes and Wishes  
  
In the present time just after Christmas, Dawn received an unexpected call from her friend Janice.  
  
"Did you hear?" Janice asked excitedly. "There's going to be a party at Cassie's on Saturday night."  
  
"So?" Dawn asked. Cassie was one of the most popular girls in the school, with her flowing blond hair, perfect clothes, and perky personality. She and Janice were much further down the high school ladder of importance.  
  
"So? . . . Cassie herself invited us!"  
  
"Really?" Dawn asked doubtfully. "Like when did she start thinking we were in her crowd?"  
  
"I don't know. But I ran into her yesterday at the mall and she invited us. And an invite is an invite. All the really in kids will be there . . . Like for instance Victor."  
  
"And Cassie invited us?"  
  
"Yes! So, are you coming? Oh, please say yes!"  
  
Dawn's eyebrows did a small dance over her eyes. It seemed strange that they were invited but, "How can I not go to a party at Cassie's house?" she said.  
  
"Good. We'll go together. I'll meet you at your place at eight o'clock. What are you going to wear?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll try to be trendy."  
  
"Don't embarrass me! Do you think I'll get a chance to talk to Victor?"  
  
"If he's there, I don't see why not."  
  
"I've simply got to try. The word around school is that he still hasn't started going out with anyone else yet, not since Rochelle."  
  
"Well . . ."  
  
"We can go talk to him together. I promise if he prefers you, I won't mind. Only, if you start going out with him, you have to promise to fix me up with one of his friends."  
  
This sounded like a very unlikely scenario to Dawn. "Yeah, fine," she said, offhandedly. "Whatever. Same with you." She was trying to play down the whole idea of seeing Victor outside of school. But she had to admit at least to herself that she was looking forward to it. She knew she wasn't in his league. And she didn't want to hope. But still . . . 


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six - Continued Temptatio...

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX  
  
Continued Temptation  
  
The next day when Willow was on her way to the Magic Box, Amy suddenly appeared at her side. It had been a while since they'd seen each other.  
  
"How are you?" Amy asked. "Have a nice holiday in your jail?"  
  
Willow kept on walking, looking straight ahead. "I told you, I'm not in jail."  
  
"It sure sounds like it to me," Amy said with a toss of her hair.  
  
"Well, it's not."  
  
"Come on!" Amy stepped in front of Willow, forcing her to stop. Her pretty face was very serious. "Are you going to tell me that you like going without magic? I mean, honestly?"  
  
"Well . . ." Willow hesitated.  
  
"You know don't. So leave and come with me. Rack still wants you back. Willow, you have no idea the kinds of things I've been learning about with his coven." Amy spoke in a half whisper, as if she were trying to hypnotize her friend. "The power . . . the glorious power. Each spell takes you higher and higher. It's nothing in comparison to those little highs we experienced in his office. This time you're in control of what happens. You're part of the process. The possibilities are limitless. And you'll feel like you've never belonged anywhere as much as you belong there." That was the most important point for Amy. Her return from ratdom and the loss of time had left her feeling very lost. Admission to Rack's coven gave her a reason for existing. A place to belong . . . A family. Right after she'd returned from her transformation, she'd hoped that she and Willow would be family. After all, Willow had been the one to care for her through all those years. But instead Willow had shut her out. And as far as Amy could see, Willow was shutting out part of herself as well . . . Her magical self. "You won't be disappointed, I promise you," she continued. "It's beyond even your wildest dreams."  
  
Willow swayed slightly. She was very tempted. But then she saw Tara's face in her mind. Tara was supposed to be meeting Dawn that day for an outing. And she was pretty sure that her ex-lover would be coming to the Magic Box at some point during the day. She was almost trembling at the thought of seeing her. It made all things magic pale in comparison. "I can't," she said.  
  
"Suit yourself," Amy said with a shrug of her shoulders. "But you're wasting your talent. I don't pretend to understand what you're doing. If your friends where really your friends, they wouldn't ask you to give up part of yourself." And with that, she lifted her nose into the air and walked off down the street, her heels clicking away confidently. 


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Unsecret Secr...

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN  
  
The Unsecret Secret  
  
As it turned out, Tara and Dawn did show up at the Magic Box late in the afternoon. Willow stationed herself near the door so she would see them come in and have a chance to talk to Tara.  
  
"Hi," Willow said, a big smile spreading over her freckled face. "Did you two have a good day?"  
  
"We went to the movies," Dawn said. "It was great. I love fantasy and happy endings. It's really nice when the heroes win and nobody good dies."  
  
"Did you like it too, Tara?" Willow asked breathlessly.  
  
"Yeah," Tara answered, avoiding Willow's eyes.  
  
"Did you get your grades back from the semester yet?"  
  
"Yeah," Tara said, "They were OK."  
  
"Me too. Although there's still one class I'm waiting for a grade on."  
  
"I'm sure you'll do fine."  
  
A silence fell between the two women, but it was full of things unspoken. Dawn looked from one to the other of them and decided she shouldn't be there. "Well, I'll just go see what Xander's doing," she offered. And she took off for the back of the store.  
  
"I . . . uh, I need to do some research upstairs," Tara said. And she swept past Willow hurriedly.  
  
"Tara, wait."  
  
Tara hiked up her skirt and started climbing the stairs. "I've really got to do this research," she said, not looking behind her.  
  
But Willow would not be shaken off. "Please, Tara," Willow said, following her into the loft. "I just want to say how much I missed you during the Yule celebration. I mean, it's one of the biggest times in the Wiccan calendar. I really wanted to share it with you. I miss you."  
  
Tara looked down at her feet. "Yeah. I miss you too."  
  
"Couldn't we at least talk and maybe still be friends?"  
  
"Willow," Tara sighed, "I really don't think we can just be friends."  
  
"I'm staying away from magic," Willow said. She didn't consider the little bit of spell casting she'd done on that school report earlier in the week as official magic.  
  
Tara sighed again and considered her ex-lover's face. Willow's smile was still as sweet and cute as ever. Tara had always loved that impish little girl look that Willow sometimes had. But still, Willow had shown her that same expression recently, even while she had been lying to her. Tara wasn't sure if she was ready to trust her again. At least, not yet.  
  
Downstairs, Dawn was feeling lonely. She'd found Xander, but he was going up and down to the storeroom with supplies. And Anya was busy waiting on customers.  
  
"Why don't you go visit with Buffy," Xander suggested, carrying several shrunken heads to a display. "She's working out in the back, beating up on the punching bag."  
  
"Yeah, maybe I'll do that," Dawn said, scuffing her shoes along the floor. She let herself into the training room at the back of the shop. Buffy was still punching away. "Hi!" Dawn said, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Hi!" Buffy grunted.  
  
"How's it going?"  
  
"Just going," Buffy said without losing her rhythm.  
  
"Janice called last night. She and I have been invited to a party on Saturday."  
  
"That's nice," Buffy said, still not looking up.  
  
"Can I go?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I said . . . can I go?" Dawn asked more loudly.  
  
"What? Oh, sure. Sure you can go. Just don't be home too late."  
  
Dawn wandered over to a wall near her sister and leaned against it. "I would have asked you last night, but you were out patrolling really late again." Dawn stressed the word patrolling, hinting that she thought her sister was doing a lot more then that. At this point, she had a pretty good idea that most of her sister's lateness was due to her fooling around with Spike.  
  
But Buffy was concentrating too much on the punching bag to pick up on any subtleties. She only grunted in answer.  
  
So, Dawn tried again, raising the volume this time. "I SAID . . . you were out patrolling really late again last night!"  
  
"Yeah," Buffy answered, still not getting it.  
  
More then anything, Dawn wanted Buffy to confide in her, to include her. Wasn't that what sisters were supposed to do? She decided to try another approach. "Wouldn't it be better if you trained with someone?" she asked.  
  
Buffy pulled back from the bag for a moment to breathe. "Well, Xander offered. But the last time he tried it, his back was out for a week. Anya was not a happy camper."  
  
"So? Maybe you should get someone else. Spike maybe. He could keep up with you."  
  
Actually the thought had occurred to Buffy. Their sparring in the cemetery was good practice. But there were advantages to working out in the training room, the great treasure trove of weapons, for one thing. Using them to spar would keep her skills good and sharp. The only thing was, her sparring sessions with Spike usually turned sexual. That was OK for the cemetery when they were alone. But what if someone walked in on them in the Magic Box? Still, the idea had merit. Assuming they could control themselves. "Maybe I'll ask him," Buffy said. "He's supposed to come on patrol with me tonight."  
  
"Really? You two patrol together a lot lately."  
  
"With Giles gone we really need his strength."  
  
"Right," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. "So how are you two getting along lately?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Anything new you want to tell me?" Dawn asked leaning in eagerly.  
  
Buffy rubbed her hands together and began hitting the punching bag again. "No. Except that Dad called yesterday to make sure we got the check he sent."  
  
That's it, Dawn said to herself. She was more then a little irritated that her sister wasn't taking her into her confidence. She slammed out of the training room and into the store proper. Everyone else was still busy, so she tried to amuse herself by looking at various things on the store shelves. Then Spike came in.  
  
"Hey, L'il Bit, how's it going?" he asked, coming up to her.  
  
"Fine," she said pointedly, "How's it going with you?"  
  
Dawn's words were ordinary enough, but the tone was not. Spike smelled a subtext in there somewhere. "Fine," he answered, looking at her carefully.  
  
"You and Buffy are doing quite a lot of patrolling lately," Dawn said leadingly.  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Real late too. In fact, she's staying out later then she ever used to."  
  
"Well, you know how it is, the Big Bad likes to come out late."  
  
"Uhh-huuh," Dawn said, nodding her head and rocking back and forth on her heels. "I saw the necklace you gave Buffy for Christmas. It's very nice. She's worn it a couple of times."  
  
"Uh, thank you."  
  
"You got anything you need to tell me?" Dawn asked leaning in close. Again, her face was lit with eagerness and she held her breath as she waited for his answer.  
  
Spike looked carefully at the expression on Dawn's face. He had a feeling that there wasn't anything he could tell the Niblet that she hadn't already figured out. But he didn't think he should be the one to tell her. That was Buffy's job. "Is Buffy around here anywhere?" he asked.  
  
"She's in the training room. She says you two are going patrolling again tonight." Dawn slowed down the word patrolling and emphasized it in such a way that Spike had no doubt that it had a double meaning. "Is it going to be just the two of you?" Dawn asked, giving him a mock wide-eyed look.  
  
Spike thought it best at that point to just walk away. Buffy was still punching in the back room, lost in denial land.  
  
"Slayer, we have to talk," Spike began, after he'd closed the door.  
  
"I hate it when you begin a conversation with those words. It always leads somewhere I don't like."  
  
"Well, if you weren't so bloody closed mouthed all the time . . ."  
  
"So what's wrong now?" she asked, undoing the tape on her hands.  
  
"You've got to talk to Dawn."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Oh, let's not start that again! You know what. I saw her outside just now. She knows and she's brassed off that we haven't told her."  
  
"She couldn't know."  
  
"Well, she does. You gonna get your head out from under that bleedin' rock? If you don't tell her soon, I will."  
  
"Dawn is my responsibility," Buffy said.  
  
"Glad you realize that. It's about time."  
  
Buffy picked up one of the weapons hanging on the wall and threw it at him. Spike caught it, but didn't throw it back.  
  
"Aren't you going to play?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. Not this time. You tell her or I will."  
  
"The holidays aren't over yet. I said after the holidays."  
  
"Well, I think you should bloody well tell her right now. She's just going to get more and more brassed off."  
  
"I'll tell her when I'm ready and not before," Buffy said, raising her voice.  
  
"Fine. But don't come bawling to me when she gives you a hard time." And with that, he walked out and left her to herself.  
  
Buffy tarried a bit longer in the training room, mostly to irritate Spike. Then she came out with her jacket on, ready to go patrolling. Spike was still in the shop waiting for her as she knew he would be. But he was doing his best to avoid Dawn. Neither Buffy nor Spike said a word to each other as they headed for the door. They didn't say goodnight to the others because it had already been decided that they would be going patrolling alone.  
  
Anya was experimenting with slightly later hours during the days between Christmas and New Year's. She had talked Xander into helping her with shop chores. Willow had bowed out of going on patrol for a while. And she was still upstairs trying to talk to Tara. Dawn assumed she'd be spending the evening at the Magic Box till Willow decided to head home.  
  
It wasn't till Buffy and Spike were well down the block that Buffy said, "I will tell her."  
  
"Fine," Spike answered curtly.  
  
They never noticed the dark haired man in the old fashioned suit and the gray haired witch standing across the street, staring pointedly at the Magic Box. 


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight - Casing the Joint

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT  
  
Casing the Joint  
  
  
  
Halcyon went into the Magic Box while the man who had come with her stayed outside across the street. She recognized Anyanka at once from the visions she'd seen at the bottom of her caldron. The only thing was, she couldn't quite understand why the ex-demon kept changing her hair color and style. Today she was a brunette with tight curls. Halcyon wondered if she were doing it as part of some sort of disguise. Were other people from her past coming to find her as well?  
  
Anya had just finished pointing out some books to a customer and was making her way back toward the cash register when Halcyon stopped her.  
  
"Oh, excuse me," Halcyon said to Anya. "I'm shopping for things for the full moon ritual. I'm looking for sandalwood, Frankincense, Gardenia petals, rose petals and Ambergris oil. Do you have all those things?"  
  
"Of course," Anya said, giving Halcyon her very best shopkeeper smile. She noticed the woman's expensive clothes and added, "I'll gather them for you if you like." Then she led Halcyon around the shop gathering the required items from various shelves. "We've also got all your needs for the celebration of Imbolc in February."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Halcyon answered. She was very aware of an aura of power in the shop. But she wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. Anyanka appeared to be human as the cards had foretold. There was no power emanating from her. "Do you run the shop by yourself?" she asked.  
  
"No. Not entirely. My fiancé helps out sometimes." Anya waved in Xander's direction as she brought all of Halcyon's items to the cash register and started to ring them up.  
  
Halcyon concentrated on the tall dark haired man that Anya had pointed out. He was arranging magic wands on a floor display near a bookcase. Fiancé? The thought of Anyanka the ancient vengeance demon marrying a mortal was almost funny. And he was mortal, Halcyon could sense it. She looked around the shop at the various customers that were meandering around, but she still couldn't tell where the source of power was coming from. Probably another customer, she decided. There was an upstairs loft. Perhaps there was someone up there browsing. Halcyon decided it was unimportant. The shop was doing a fairly good business. It was likely that someone with power would come in to make a purchase. "There are a few other things that I'd like to pick up before the full moon," she said to Anya. "Will you be open late any other nights this week?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Anya said, pleasantly. "We're running a special sale all week in preparation for the full moon and the coming of the New Year. We'll be open late every night through Sunday. Then on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day we'll be closed."  
  
"Thank you so much," Halcyon said. Then she paid for her purchases and left. The man with the slicked-back hair was still waiting across the street. He nodded as she approached.  
  
"Everything Okey doke?" the man asked in a gravely voice?"  
  
"Yes. Let's get back to Eric."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Eric Piedmont had done very well with his bootlegging business back in his home time of the mid-1920's, so he could afford to stay at the swankiest hotel in Sunnydale. When he walked through the lobby, he wore a large hat with a scarf wrapped around his face, obliterating everything from view but a single eye. He hadn't actually checked in himself. He had one of his two henchmen handle that. Food was ordered through room service. And all payments were made in cash. Of course, everyone who chanced to see him was suspicious. But this being the Hellmouth, no one asked too many questions.  
  
"Ah, you're back!" Eric said as Halcyon and his other minion came into his hotel room. "How did things go? Is she human?"  
  
"Yes!" Halcyon said, looking quite pleased with herself. And, she's engaged to a human male who seems to work in the same place. I don't think there will be any problem in taking over the shop and doing what you wants to Anyanka and her mate. She's keeping the shop open late through Sunday. Just make sure there aren't too many people in the shop."  
  
"I will," Eric answered with delight. "Boys, I don't see any reason in putting things off. We'll move tomorrow night, Thursday. The sooner we get our little business concluded, the sooner we can get back to our own time and enjoy the New Year. I have a feeling it's going to be a very good one for me." 


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine - Fallen Matinee Ido...

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE  
  
Fallen Matinee Idol  
  
The next evening was pretty much the same for the Scoobies . . . at least at first. Once again most of them were at the Magic Box. Tara was the exception. She was home that night, catching up on that wonderful thing called laundry.  
  
Willow was at the circular table near the center of the store with her laptop. Dawn was sitting across from her reading a book on beginning magic.  
  
"Hey, Xander," Willow called as he passed by. "Have you heard about all the fires downtown on Lindemann Avenue near where the old railroad used to be?"  
  
"Fires?" he said. He was happy to be interrupted. Anya had him dusting upper shelves and he was just in the process of moving a ladder from one place to another.  
  
"Yeah, look at this." Willow shoved her laptop in his direction. "A couple of buildings have been completely totaled. You think there could be some kind of dark force in operation there?"  
  
Xander good-naturedly gave the laptop a quick look. "Let's see. Old buildings, some abandoned, all on the same street. No. My construction instincts say it's probably a few of the owners wanting to gentrify the area. They figure it's easier to light a match then pay a demolition crew. Plus, if you pull arson off well enough, you get insurance money. No. It may not be legal. But it's not demon stuff."  
  
"But what if it's a group of fire demons or something?" Willow asked eagerly.  
  
"Fire demons? Do they even have such things? Or are we talking about devils of some kind?"  
  
"No. Fire demons. They're totally different. From what I've read, they've got this limited power to send out fireballs. Maybe they're having some sort of gang battle with a group of shadow demons."  
  
"Shadow demons?" Xander said, letting his head fall down onto his chest as he looked down at his friend.  
  
"Yeah, they're like the mortal enemies of the fire demons. The two are always going at each other."  
  
"Right."  
  
Anya handed change to a customer and thanked them politely. Then she headed over to join the conversation. "You're talking about shadow and fire demons?" she asked  
  
"Yeah," Willow said. "They both like old buildings and dark underground places."  
  
"At some point they started to get in each other's way," Anya explained to her fiancé. "That's how the gang wars started. The two hate each other. But nobody really cares because generally they don't bother anyone else."  
  
"Do you think they could be causing these fires downtown?" Willow asked.  
  
"No," Anya said, with a shake of her head. "You said there were several buildings involved, right? Usually their battles don't do any excessive damage. They're pretty equal in power, the fire demons with their little blasts of fire and the shadow demons with their ability to fade through walls. Usually there are only one or two battles that take place. Then one or the other calls retreat."  
  
"See!" Xander said, slipping an arm around his brilliant woman. "There you have it from our little demon expert. Willow, I guarantee it, it's all about insurance fraud."  
  
And with that, Anya went to wait on another customer and Xander went off to climb his ladder and resume dusting.  
  
Willow's freckled face fell into a pout. She was hurt that they weren't taking her suspicions seriously. She thought she was really onto something.  
  
Dawn, from her position across the table, saw this and felt sorry for her. "So," she said trying to look more interested then she felt. "Tell me some more about these fire demons. How come you think it might be them?"  
  
"Well," Willow began, her expression already improving, "it's the way these old buildings were abandoned for a long time. And there were all these rumors about them being haunted. And then suddenly these fires . . ."  
  
Dawn listened very carefully and asked all the right leading questions until Spike walked in once again at sundown. "Hi, Spike!" she called out to him in a grammar school sort of singsong voice, "Buffy's in the back waiting for you to train with her."  
  
"Better you than Xander," Anya said, making a notation on a pad by the cash register. "I don't want him hurting his back again."  
  
"Oh, I'm reeeal sure Spike can handle her," Dawn said loudly. "Can't you, Spike?"  
  
Spike ignored Dawn and marched into the training room, closing the door firmly behind him. "You've got to tell her, Slayer," he said. "Now! . . . Tonight!"  
  
Buffy stopped lifting weights. "Yeah," she agreed. "The hints are getting a bit much even for me. 'Soooooo,' she says to me this afternoon, 'you and Spike were out reeeal late again patrolling, huh?' I'm surprised Willow hasn't figured it out just by listening to her. I guess I should tell Dawn tonight. But now? Here? With everyone else around?"  
  
"You can call her back here and I'll make sure no one disturbs you."  
  
While Buffy and Spike were discussing this, a well-covered Eric and his two bootleg henchmen were entering the Magic Box. The two henchmen each had pistols. They hadn't brought the big guns because they didn't think they'd need them. One of the henchmen pointed his pistol at Xander, who had once again climbed down the ladder in preparation for moving it. The other gangster chose Dawn as his target.  
  
Eric himself crossed the room with a flourish and came to a stop before Anya at the cash register. "Do you remember me, Anyanka?" he said, as he began to unwind his face coverings and his hat, letting each of them drop to the floor in succession. "It's been many years. But please say you haven't forgotten me."  
  
"Eric!" Anya gasped.  
  
"That's right. I've come to settle a score with you. Now that you're human, you're nice and vulnerable like I was. Like Pansy was too."  
  
"Pansy?" Anya said. "You hurt Pansy?"  
  
"My boys cut her up a bit so she could understand what it feels like to have a face like mine. What kind of a vengeance demon are you anyway? You rain down punishment and then you don't stay to make sure your wish giver survives without incident."  
  
"Well," Anya said, with a shake of her head. "That's not really part of the contract. You see . . ."  
  
"Silence!"  
  
Eric's gangsters brought their guns a little closer to their intended victims. And Eric pulled out a long shining knife.  
  
"It's time for you to see what it's like, Anyanka. To look horrible and twisted like me." Twisted was exactly what Eric looked like. His skin was fuller then an ordinary human's and it was stretched horribly in strange directions. His lip hung down very low on one side and he slurped as he talked. The other side of his face was drawn up very high. One ear hung low and the other was tiny. Half of his hair was gone, replaced by an extensive red scar. "I was a nice guy till you came along," Eric continued, making cuts at the air with his knife. "After your curse, my insides began to match my outsides. That's probably what'll happen to you too."  
  
As Eric moved to pull Anya out from behind the cash register, Xander was thinking about trying to tackle the guy holding the gun to his head. But he was afraid for Dawn, who looked awfully scared. Willow was trying to think of a spell that would somehow get Buffy's attention in the training room without spooking the gunmen. Luckily that wasn't necessary.  
  
Buffy had finally come to the conclusion that now was the time to have a heart to heart with her sister. She came out of the training room with Spike just behind her. "Dawn could I . . ." she started to say. Then she took in the scene before her and switched to "What's going on here?" spoken in her best slayer voice.  
  
Eric's eyes traveled over Buffy's skimpy training attire and said, "I wouldn't mind talking to you later. But I have some business to take care of first."  
  
Spike growled behind her, but Buffy waved him into silence. Two of the intruders were obviously human. The guy threatening Anya could have gone either way. "So, who are you?" Buffy asked, strolling casually up to Eric. He obviously didn't know who she was, so he probably wouldn't get spooked as long as she took things easy.  
  
"I'm a friend of Anyanka's. Or maybe you could call me a dissatisfied client. She did this to me." He waved his knifeless hand in the direction of his face. "I was once the most handsome of men. Can you believe that?"  
  
"I assume that's a rhetorical question," Buffy said, strolling past Eric a bit. She glanced in Willow's direction. The witch was muttering a silent spell under her breath and holding her hands under the table. Buffy had a feeling she was planning on doing something to the gunman who had the pistol to Dawn's cheek. That was one down. She hoped Xander would be able to take care of the other guy. That left just her and Mr. Good-looking. "And who were you before?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Eric Piedmont," he announced proudly. "Maybe you've heard of me."  
  
"Nope. 'Fraid not."  
  
"I was an actor on the silver screen. One of the greatest of all the film lovers."  
  
Buffy looked at him with great doubt.  
  
"I was! Until Anyanka granted the wish of this silly little flapper named Pansy. Now look at me! Does this face not warrant revenge? Luckily, I have a friend who could send me along through time, so I could have justice.  
  
At this point, Willow was ready to cast her spell. She waved her right hand at the gun pointed at Dawn and it flew out of the henchman's hand. It went off, but it fired harmlessly over everybody's head, damaging only an especially thick book of spells in one of the bookcases. Then Willow waved her left hand and threw a charge of energy toward the gunman's midsection. It sent him flying backwards toward the front of the store. The second henchman moved his head reflexively in the direction of the commotion, allowing Xander to tackle him and knock his gun away. Meanwhile, Buffy highkicked Eric the Ugly's hand to disengage him from Anya. He tried to knife her, but Buffy easily outmaneuvered him.  
  
"Here, Slayer!" Spike called from the direction of the training room. He threw out a long staff, which Buffy caught easily.  
  
With the staff, Buffy knocked the knife from Eric's hand. Eric countered by trying to punch her, but he was no match for Buffy. When he realized his henchmen were heading for the door, he decided to follow their example. Willow waved her right hand and immediately the door slammed after them.  
  
"I hate it when we fight humans!" Spike complained. "There's nothing for me to do! That guy was a human, wasn't he?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Anya said with a sigh.  
  
"I guess there's nothing for me, then, but to gather up the weapons." Spike picked up the tossed guns and the long knife and laid them out on the showcase. "Gonna need a good fight later," he whispered to Buffy's back as he passed her.  
  
She rolled her eyes and ignored his comment. She had other things to worry about. "OK," Buffy said to Anya. "Who was that?"  
  
Anya looked very guilty. "He was one of the people I delivered vengeance on. It was in the early 1920's. He must have used magic to find me here."  
  
"What did he do that required vengeance," Willow asked.  
  
"Well, there was this young flapper named Pansy. She was new in Hollywood. Very young, very willing, kinda mousy. She met Eric at a party. Pansy was a prop girl for the studio where he worked. He was their biggest matinee idol at the time. He took her home, had sex with her, and never gave her the time of day again. The poor girl was brokenhearted. She tried seeing him at the studio, but the jerk said she wasn't beautiful enough for him to really get involved with. That he'd only had sex with her because he felt sorry for her. I was cruising the studio as a script girl back then, looking for women like her. There were a lot of them in the early days of Hollywood. Even more than now. Women nowadays are more savvy and not so likely to get used as a convenience. Anyway, Pansy told me that she wished Eric would become so ugly that no girl would ever want him again. And I granted her wish. You know . . . the usual vengeance thing."  
  
"Except now this guy is trying to hurt you and maybe kill the rest of us," Buffy said.  
  
"You think they'll come back?" Anya asked.  
  
Buffy nodded. "They've come a long way. I'm sure they will."  
  
Xander said nothing at all. But his expression was very dark.  
  
"They must have used some pretty powerful magic to get here," Willow said. "I wonder if they brought whoever did it with them."  
  
"Well, if they did, he or she wasn't part of that trio," Buffy said. "I think I'd better go home with you guys tonight to keep an eye on things. Willow, you look after Dawn."  
  
"And what about me?" Spike asked.  
  
"You will go on patrol by your lonesome." Buffy patted him hard on the back.  
  
"Oh, that's great fun, that is," he whined. 


	30. Chapter Thirty - Uneasy Thoughts

CHAPTER THIRTY  
  
Uneasy Thoughts  
  
  
  
"I don't understand it," Eric said to Halcyon back at the hotel. He had expected an easy victory, leaving Anyanka in a pool of her own blood with a face perhaps even worse then his. But somehow everything had gone wrong. "She was a young woman, hardly more then twenty," he said, trying to describe Buffy. "Yet she was so much stronger then I. There was this man there with white hair. He didn't even bother to help her, except to throw her a weapon. He seemed totally confident that she would win. He called her 'Slayer.'"  
  
"Slayer?" Halcyon said. She walked back and forth over the muddy brown rug in Eric's room, her pale blue slippers peeking out from under her long brocade skirt. "Could she possibly be the fabled vampire slayer? That would account for her strength."  
  
"And what is a vampire slayer?" Eric asked.  
  
Halcyon did her best to explain the legend as she knew it. "She is supposed to be a young woman endowed with great strength for the purpose of fighting vampires. Only one exists in the world at a time. And when one dies, another gains strength and begins the battle again. It is not good that Anyanka is friends with one of them."  
  
"But that's not all, Halcyon. One of your own kind, a witch was there. She threw a spell at Barrett and it caused his gun to fly away."  
  
"There was a witch? . . . I thought I sensed power there yesterday."  
  
"And you didn't tell me!" Eric said with fury.  
  
"I assumed it was one of the customers. Tell me, did she look tired after she did this magic?  
  
Now it was Eric's turn to pace, only his movements were wilder as he tore himself from one end of the room to another. "I don't remember!" Eric said. "And neither would Barrett. He was too busy getting tossed across the room by another one of her spells!"  
  
"All right. All right," Halcyon said. "The next time you go, I will go with you. And then, we will be sure of victory. I guarantee it."  
  
"You had better," Eric said. He ceased his pacing and stood menacingly over the witch. "Because if things don't work out the way I want them to, I will take you as my victim instead of Anyanka. Even if it means I can never return to my own time."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Xander and Anya settled Buffy onto their livingroom couch with the proper number of blankets and pillows. Then they said their goodnights and retired to their room.  
  
Xander had still not said anything about the night's excitement. He waited till they were both in bed and everything was quiet outside of their door. "So . . . Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Anya said. She was fluffing up her pillow and pulling the covers around herself. She wasn't quite listening.  
  
"Are all of your ex-victims going to come back and try to settle things now that you're human?"  
  
"No. Of course not. None of them has till now. You have to expect a few disgruntled customers."  
  
"This wasn't a customer, Anya. This was a victim."  
  
"Well . . ." Anya turned on her back and considered the white ceiling. "Pansy thought she was a victim too, after all."  
  
"I'm just wondering what our married life is going to be like."  
  
This time Anya looked at him. "Xander, when you've lived as long as I have, you've got to expect at least a little of your past to come back and haunt you. A thousand years is a long time, after all."  
  
"Yes. That it is."  
  
"It's not like my past is a surprise to you. And anyway, I'm a different person now."  
  
"I just don't like your past paying me a visit and waving a gun in my face."  
  
"That won't happen all the time."  
  
"I should hope not!"  
  
"Shhh. Buffy will hear you."  
  
Xander lowered his voice to a whisper. But the sentiment was the same. "I sincerely hope not.  
  
Anya raised a single eyebrow at him and turned off the light on the nightstand next to her, plunging the room into darkness. She stayed on her side of the bed and Xander stayed on his. Anya fell asleep quickly. But it was more difficult for Xander. Finally he fell into restless sleep. He dreamt that all kinds of monsters showed up at his wedding and he had to fight them back in his rented tux.  
  
Meanwhile, Buffy was having an even harder time falling asleep. There had been a certain amount of satisfaction for her in sending Spike off on patrol by himself. It gave her a chance to put him in his place, to let him see who was boss. But she still missed having contact with him, physically and otherwise. It was something she didn't particularly want to realize. So she fought it back with everything she had, in the process combating covers, pillows, and sleep. She finally dropped off into slumber as the sky outside began to lighten, with her body wrapped tightly around one of her pillows. 


	31. Chapter Thirty-One - Saturday Night

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE  
  
Saturday Night  
  
Dawn was dressed and ready when Janice came to meet her on Saturday night. She wouldn't have admitted it to her friend, but she was feeling very excited about this whole thing. An invite to one of Cassie's parties was very important in social terms. And she'd have a chance to interface with boys who generally wouldn't have noticed her in the halls at school even if they'd physically tripped over her. Janice was so full of anticipation she practically danced down the street.  
  
By the time the girls got to the party, it was already well underway. Cassie's house was filled to bursting with young people. None of them seemed to notice Janice and Dawn. Dawn felt immediately self-conscious. But Janice wasn't intimidated. She dived right in, got some chips and dip, and made her way to her main target . . . Victor. He was standing with a group of friends in what you might call the stag corner.  
  
"Hi!" Janice said, a little too loud. There was music playing in the background. But it didn't require too much volume to be heard over it. "Remember me? I'm Janice. I'm in your chemistry class."  
  
Victor gave her a good-natured smile. He was an exceptionally good-looking young man with an enviable physique and a handsome face. His course dark hair stayed perfectly in place with out the help of gel. And the rosy touch to his cheeks advertised the life of a jock that spent a good deal of his time outdoors. Janice," he said, trying to place her for a moment. "Oh, yes. How are you doing?"  
  
"Fine. This is my friend Dawn Summers."  
  
"Hi," Victor said politely.  
  
"Hi," Dawn answered back in a small voice.  
  
"So . . . how was your Christmas?" Janice asked.  
  
"OK," Victor answered. He nodded to one of his friends as he moved away from their little enclave. For the most part, the other boys just weren't interested in Janice and Dawn. They didn't meet their social standards.  
  
"We went off to Seattle to visit my uncle," Janice said. "They've got snow up in the Cascades and we did a little skiing."  
  
"That's nice," Victor said.  
  
"I absolutely adore skiing!" Janice proclaimed again a bit too loudly. "Do you ski?"  
  
"Not much," Victor answered.  
  
"Neither does Dawn. In fact, I don't think she's ever been. Have you Dawn?"  
  
Dawn appreciated that Janice was trying to pull her into the conversation, what there was of it that is. But there wasn't much to add past, "No, I haven't."  
  
That's when Cassie and her crony Brenda approached. Behind them came several other girls. Brenda was quite a contrast to her willowy blond friend. She was a redhead with a short stature, a thick middle, and a sharp tongue.  
  
"So," Brenda said, with a glint in her eyes, "you two did come."  
  
"Oh, yes!" Janice answered. "Thank you so much for inviting us, Cassie."  
  
"I really didn't think you'd come," Cassie said.  
  
"Of course," Janice said. "How could we miss it?"  
  
"Actually, it's Dawn we're surprised to see," Brenda said with a sneer, "Don't you usually hang out with your sister and her weird friends?"  
  
Dawn's eyes narrowed. Was this a set up? Had they been invited just so Brenda could make fun of them? . . . Of her? Because evidently, Janice wasn't considered to be as much of an outcast. "My sister's friends aren't weird," Dawn said defensively.  
  
"Well, that's what I'd call them," Brenda said. "Everyone in town knows how weird all of them are. Especially your sister. She's the biggest freak of them all."  
  
"She's not a freak," Dawn said, staring fearlessly into her tormentor's eyes. "She's done more for this town than anybody will ever know."  
  
"Yeah, right. It's not like things aren't strange enough around here. We have to have your freaky sister and her friends around too."  
  
"My sister has been through a lot. She's braver and stronger then any of you will ever be. She's a hero!"  
  
It was at this point that Victor stepped in-between the two young women. "I think that's enough," Victor said to Brenda. "Dawn's sister IS a hero. Their mother died last year, remember? Dawn's sister has had to take over for her mother and quit college. Do you see their father around here, taking any responsibility, huh? As far as I'm concerned, she has a right to be a little strange." His gaze moved to Cassie. "I think it's really very uncool to invite people to your house just to dis 'em. Come on," he said to Dawn, "let's get out of here."  
  
Victor piloted Dawn toward the door without a backward glance. The other kids let them pass. Victor was their leader. If he said that Cassie and Brenda had acted uncool, then that was it. Dawn may not belong to their circle, but kicking her around was now officially off limits.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that," Victor said to Dawn once they were outside. "They had no right to say what they did."  
  
Dawn swung her long hair back onto her shoulder. "That's all right. I really shouldn't have come. I should have known better."  
  
"Yeah. Well, if they bother you again, you just tell me and I'll take care of them."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You want I should walk you home?"  
  
Dawn's eyes widened and she shifted her shoulders about. "All right. Thanks."  
  
"Some people just need to put people down in order to feel good about themselves," Victor said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I know it's hard, but you just can't listen to 'em. Ignore 'em as much as you can. Eventually they'll get tired and go bother somebody else."  
  
All Dawn could do in answer was to sigh.  
  
"So. You don't ski? Me neither. Never even had an interest in it. Speed skating, now that's different!"  
  
The rest of the way to Dawn's house Victor went on about his favorite subject . . . sports. Dawn nodded and asked a few questions. But basically she just enjoyed looking at him and listening to him. It was just awesome. The hottest kid in school was walking her home!  
  
When they finally got to her porch she said, "Well, thanks a lot for coming to my rescue. And for walking me home."  
  
"No problem. Remember, if they bother you again, just let me know."  
  
And with that, he leaned down and kissed her chastely on her left cheek. "You take care, Dawn," he said with a wave as he walked back down the street.  
  
"Yeah!" Dawn called back. "You too!" She watched Victor's tall form disappear down the street. Then she stumbled uncertainly into her house. No one was there. She figured Willow and Buffy were patrolling or hanging at the Magic Box. But it didn't matter. She just went up to her room and spread herself out on her bed in the dark to dream. 


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two - The Mall Blues

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO  
  
The Mall Blues  
  
The next morning when Buffy got in she noticed that her younger sister was in sort of a high-flying haze. "How was the party?" she asked.  
  
"Great," Dawn said. "Really great."  
  
"Glad to hear it," Buffy said with a smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't here last night when you got in. You know I've been watching over Xander and Anya because of that ugly guy."  
  
"No problem," Dawn said, meaning it. "I was fine. What are you going to do today?"  
  
"Well, I thought we might spend the day together."  
  
Dawn's face suddenly became clouded. "Oh," she said, as if this was absolutely the worst news in the world.  
  
"You don't want to spend the day together?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, I really wanted to go out and hang at the mall. That's where a lot of the kids go over the weekend. But if you'd reeeally rather . . ." She whined over the word "really" as if it was all going to be torture.  
  
"All right, all right. I was just trying to give you some quality time. But if you'd rather hang at the mall, I understand." After all, this was a "normal" activity and she wanted her little sister to have some of the normal life that she never would.  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
"I guess I'll go and hang at the Magic Box then. You have a good time."  
  
"Oh, I will!" Dawn said, her eyes sparkling.  
  
She got to the mall a little after noon and cruised the atrium floors, searching for people she knew. On the third floor she found a group of guys sitting around a big potted plant. At the center of them was Victor. This was exactly what she'd been hoping for.  
  
"Hey!" she called out to him. "Fancy meeting you here. What's up?"  
  
"Hey," Victor said. His tone wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't as warm as it had been the night before. He glanced uncertainly at his friends. "How's your sister?"  
  
"She's fine. "What are you guys doing?"  
  
"Just hanging."  
  
A couple of Victor's friends gave him a disapproving look and moved away. It was as if they were silently saying, it's OK to be nice to her, but she's not one of us. Don't let her get into the habit of hanging around.  
  
"You come here every weekend?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Not always."  
  
Dawn nodded, trying desperately to come up with a good topic of conversation. Unlike the night before, Victor didn't jump in with a story of his own. In fact, he seemed to be giving Dawn only the most minimum of attention, as if he were hoping she'd leave. His friends who had moved away, had stopped a couple of pretty teenage girls and were talking to them.  
  
"So. How was your Christmas?" Dawn asked. It was the only thing she could think of to say.  
  
"Fine," Victor answered, his eyes looking off into the distance at his friends.  
  
"What are you doing for New Year's?"  
  
"Got a party to go to."  
  
"Oh. That's nice."  
  
One of Victor's friends, waved to Victor, urging him to join them in talking to the pretty girls. He nodded to them and said, "Well, gotta go now." Then he took off.  
  
Dawn looked after him like an abandoned puppy dog.  
  
"Vic's a really nice guy," a young male voice said behind her. "Only sometimes, he cares too much what other people think.  
  
Dawn spun around and saw one of Victor's lesser friends, a kid named Zachary. He wasn't a jock. He had wire-framed glasses and longish light brown hair. His clothes were more casual then trendy and he had a habit of keeping his hands in the pockets of his roomy jeans. Dawn looked at him blankly, too lost in her own feelings to say anything.  
  
"I thought it was really great the way you stood up for your sister last night," Zachary said. "I don't think my little brother would do that for me. Fact is, I know he wouldn't. If somebody put me down, he'd probably wholeheartedly agree with them. But you called your sister a hero. You two must have a really great relationship."  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said. "Look, I just remembered. I really gotta go."  
  
"Sure," Zachary said. Then, as she started walking away he called after her, "It was nice talking to you."  
  
Dawn was absolutely mortified! The night before she'd thought that Victor had been interested in her, at least as a friend. Today, it was clear that he was trying to keep his distance. He'd obviously only felt sorry for her the night before and nothing more then that. Like she was a stray pet! And that Zachary guy, he felt sorry for her too. She was never going to live it all down. Never!  
  
Without knowing how, she found herself in the department store where she and Janice had done most of the Christmas "shopping." There was a lot less shoppers now on. And she wasn't wearing a sling anymore, just an ace bandage. Still, she found herself cruising through the aisles looking for some small item to pilfer. 


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three - Confrontations

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE  
  
Confrontations  
  
  
  
When Buffy showed up at the Magic Box at noon, Spike showed up shortly after. It was almost as if he'd read her mind . . . or at least her pheromones. She'd been staying so close to Anya and Xander that she'd hardly glimpsed him alone since Eric and his friends had visited the shop on Thursday night.  
  
Spike came up through the basement tunnels because the alley out back was very sunny at that particular point of the day. There were no customers yet. Most people who visit magic shops aren't morning people, especially on Sunday. Willow was up in the loft studying some special books. Anya was using the quiet time to catch up on accounts behind the register. And Xander was half-napping in a back corner of the store, hoping that his ladylove wouldn't have him playing Mr. Fix-it again today. He'd spent most of Saturday fiddling with plumbing and lighting fixtures and mouse holes. It was beginning to seem like work.  
  
"Hey everyone," Spike said as offhandedly as possible.  
  
"Hey," Anya muttered.  
  
"Is Buffy around?"  
  
"She's in the back," Anya replied without looking up. "She's supposedly training. But it doesn't sound like her heart is in it. Maybe you should help her."  
  
"Maybe I'll do that," Spike said. And he moved toward the back room, trying to maintain a careless gait, even as his body wanted to rush forward. "Slayer," he said as he came in and shut the door. "Anya says you need a sparring partner."  
  
Buffy gave him a provocative look. Sparring wasn't quite what she had in mind. But it was a good start. "Lock it," she commanded.  
  
Spike cocked his head to one side and did as he was told, trying to make the click as subtle as possible.  
  
A short time later, Anya heard the sounds of battle in the back room, culminating in the thud of a body hitting the floor heavily and a series of groans from Spike. It sounds like she's killing him, Anya thought to herself. Better him than Xander.  
  
A short time later, the customers started arriving and no one noticed that it had gotten very quiet in the training room. Later on, Buffy and Spike came out to join the others and the customers started to trail off. The Scoobies gathered lazily at the round table at the center of the shop, talking aimlessly of this and that. Spike was the only one who stayed off to the side, leaning against one of the bookshelves.  
  
Just before dark, Tara came in looking very serious with a petulant Dawn in tow. She piloted the young woman to the table near Buffy and said, "OK. Tell them."  
  
One look at Tara's angry face told Buffy something was seriously wrong. "What's up?" she asked, preparing herself for bad news.  
  
"Tell them!"  
  
Dawn's expression got even more cross, but she remained silent.  
  
"Dawn was picked up for shoplifting," Tara said.  
  
"What?" Buffy said, rising to her feet.  
  
"The store tried calling you at home. But when you weren't there, Dawn gave them my number."  
  
"Dawn knew I was here," Buffy said.  
  
"Well, she gave them my number anyway. Luckily I was home."  
  
"Why didn't you call me here?" Buffy asked her sister.  
  
"I thought Tara would be less mad," Dawn answered.  
  
"Well, you were wrong there," Tara said.  
  
"Dawn, how could you?" Buffy asked furiously. "Shoplifting?"  
  
"The store manager said they'd been suspicious of her for a while but hadn't really caught her at it yet. They said they wouldn't call the police this time because of her age and because she hadn't taken anything of great value. But if they catch her again, they will."  
  
"Dawn, how could you?" Buffy demanded again.  
  
"Well, what do you care? You're always busy anyway."  
  
"You know I have lots of responsibilities."  
  
"Yeah. But I thought I was one of them. You're always leaving me to someone else, Willow, Tara, Giles. You hardly ever talk to me anymore. I mean, I don't mind it when you go patrolling or anything like that. I'm usually asleep when you do that. But all the other times . . ."  
  
"I put today aside for you, didn't I? But you said you preferred to go to the mall to be with your friends. Or at least that's what you told me. You didn't tell me you wanted to go to the mall to shoplift!"  
  
"It didn't start out that way," Dawn said in a small voice.  
  
"Well, what did it start out as?"  
  
Dawn didn't answer.  
  
"You're grounded like forever, young lady."  
  
"What does it matter?" Dawn said, making a face. "It's not like I have any friends anyway, except for Janice."  
  
"I'd rather you didn't hang with her anyway. Not after what happened on Halloween."  
  
Dawn made a nasty sound and shifted her shoulders.  
  
"That girl Janice has no sense. Parking! . . . With VAMPIRES! You're so lucky I didn't ground you forever then."  
  
"No. You had Giles talk to me. Like he's my father or something. Why didn't you talk to me?"  
  
"Because I figured he was the one with more experience."  
  
Dawn gave a disgusted laugh. "Not with vampires he hasn't."  
  
Suddenly Spike had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going. "Uh, Buffy . . ." he said.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You know what that means."  
  
"No. Enlighten me," Buffy said, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"You're always acting so high and mighty like you know everything. And you've got this great big double standard. OK, so Janice and I made a mistake on Halloween. But it's not like you've never been attracted to a vampire before."  
  
"That's different."  
  
"Oh, it's always different with you!"  
  
"Angel was . . ."  
  
"Angel!" Dawn spit out the name. "Like HE's the only vampire you've ever been with. What about Spike? You two have been getting it on since before Christmas. Am I right?"  
  
Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.  
  
"I told you she was brassed off," Spike said.  
  
Tara looked away, because she had already guessed the truth. But the other three Scoobies were in absolute shock.  
  
"What?" Xander said, rising to his feet.  
  
"It's not what you think," Buffy said.  
  
"Like bloody hell it isn't," Spike said. "Xander, don't listen to her. It's exactly what you think!"  
  
"Then the Galera demons were right?" Willow said. "I mean, about Spike being your boyfriend?"  
  
"The Galera demons knew and WE didn't," Xander said, his eyes opening wider every second. "How did they find out?"  
  
Spike cleared his throat delicately. "Well, they saw us underneath the stairs one night at the Bronze . . ."  
  
"You were making out at the Bronze?"  
  
"Well, in a word . . .yes."  
  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this! He's a demon, Buffy. How could you get involved with a demon?"  
  
"Oh and what did I used to be?" Anya asked poking her fiancé in the ribs. "Some demons are very nice people."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Xander said.  
  
"I am not being ridiculous," Anya countered. "Some of my best friends are demons."  
  
Buffy turned to Spike and said, "Could you have embarrassed me any more?"  
  
"Actually, yes. I could have told them that we've been having wild sex all over town."  
  
"What?" Willow said, her jaw dropping.  
  
"I think I'm too young to hear this," Dawn said.  
  
Buffy closed her eyes in agony.  
  
"Wild sex?" Anya asked. She had totally lost interest in her tiff with Xander. This was a subject that was much more interesting. "All over town? Xander, isn't that cute? They're just like we used to be. Course we don't do it so much any more. Lately he always comes home so tired."  
  
"Excuse me?" Xander said angrily. "I work on construction sites all day. It's a very physically taxing job. And then at night I slave away killing demons . . . yes demons! And in addition I take whatever extra jobs I can just so you and your demon girlfriends can have your dream wedding. There's just no satisfying you women!"  
  
"Tell me about it," Spike quipped.  
  
"Shut up! Buffy said, smacking Spike on the arm.  
  
"I hate to interrupt this very interesting conversation," a voice behind them said, "but I'm afraid it's vengeance time."  
  
The Scoobies looked around to see Eric the Ugly standing in the center of his two henchmen. Halcyon was just behind them, locking the door to the Magic Shop with a very definite click. Eric had already thrown off his head coverings and was standing with a long knife in his hands, similar to the one he'd had on Thursday night. His henchmen were carrying prohibition era machine guns.  
  
Buffy was so caught up in the revelation of her secret relationship with Spike that she didn't think as quickly as she should have. But Willow did.  
  
"Tara," Willow called, "transform the guns into daisies. The two witches joined hands and directed their powers toward the gunmen. Halcyon was not used to being in battle situations. She hadn't even stepped forward yet. Before she could make a move, Tara and Willow had finished their incantation and the machine guns had been turned into daisies.  
  
"No!" Halcyon cried. She could feel who was the stronger of the two witches. Willow's powers practically pulsed across the room. Halcyon reached out her arms and shot a ray of energy in Willow's direction.  
  
Willow reeled back slightly under Halcyon's attack. But she quickly recovered and returned fire. The two witches were locked in a magical combat, each of them seeming to have similar power. Sparks flew everywhere as their attack blazed on.  
  
Eric lunged at Anya with his knife. But Xander tackled him. The two men struggled for the knife as Anya did her best to beat Eric over the head. The two gunless henchmen each pulled out knives of their own and headed in Buffy's direction. Tara didn't have the reserves of magic that Willow did. She concentrated on pushing Dawn away from the battle and into a safe corner. Spike, was totally beside himself. Since all the bad guys were human there really wasn't much that he could do. He cheered his side on and paced a whole lot, looking for an opening where he might be able to do some good.  
  
Buffy succeeded in knocking the knife away from one of the henchman. But he recovered quickly and spun her around into the waiting knife of the other henchman, holding her fast as she realized with shock that the long knife had been buried deeply into her chest. Then the knifeweilding henchman used the momentum to pull it down towards her stomach.  
  
"Buffy!" Spike called. And he threw himself into Buffy's attacker like a cannon ball, shrieking with pain as he made contact.  
  
Willow heard Spike's cries and let her gaze fall away from Halcyon for a second. She saw Spike sprawled on the floor at the foot of one gangster who was brandishing a bloody knife. The second gangster was poised to strike Spike with his fist. Buffy was kneeling on the floor in shock, with blood covering her entire front and oozing onto the floor in front of her. Xander and Anya were still struggling with Eric for the knife. Anger filled Willow. Her breathing built and her eyes became blacker. She called from her very depths, pulling up more and more power then she'd ever been able to call before. She threw her hands out higher into the air and the energy crackled out more brightly from her fingertips. With a great force of will, she snapped her hands toward herself and then out again, flinging the four intruders to some unknown dimension in a blinding flash of light. Halcyon screamed as the power hit her.  
  
Spike was the first to recover. He immediately went to Buffy's side and ripped open her shirt. He'd seen the knife go into her. He knew how deep the initial cut was and how her attacker had pulled the knife downwards. He was sure that several of her internal organs had been severed. For a human it should have been a mortal wound. But when he pulled back Buffy's blood soaked blouse, he realized the bleeding had already stopped and healing seemed to be underway. This wasn't normal for a human. Or for that matter a vampire. A vampire wouldn't have been killed by such an attack, but they still wouldn't have been able to heal so quickly.  
  
Spike's eyes met Buffy's and he realized that even though she was still in shock, she knew she was already healing in ways that an ordinary slayer just couldn't have. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes were wide with fear. The Guide in the desert had said that she was immortal. That she could be killed, but not so easily as before. She'd put off thinking about it. But now here was the proof.  
  
"Buffy!" Dawn cried, rushing over to her sister. If there was fear in Buffy's eyes, there was terror in Dawn's. She saw herself losing Buffy again. She saw the blood on her sister's shirt and on the floor, peeking around Spike's knees. It couldn't be happening again so soon. It just couldn't! "Buffy!" she called again.  
  
When Buffy said nothing, Spike stepped in to protect her. He pulled the bloody shirt together and wrapped his hands around Buffy's shoulders. "It's all right, Niblet," he said breathlessly. "It wasn't that bad."  
  
"But the blood!" Dawn said, kneeling at her sister's back.  
  
"I know. There's lots of blood. But that's only because, uh, the cut was in the stomach and those cuts always bleed a lot. But it wasn't deep and the bleeding's already stopped." He couldn't tell them what happened yet. Not when Buffy herself was still so much in shock. Even though she was healing already, she'd still lost a lot of blood. Too much excitement might drive her further into shock and make her lose consciousness. And he had a feeling that wouldn't be good.  
  
"We should get her to a doctor," Tara said, coming up behind Dawn.  
  
"No!" Spike said, a bit too loud. "Her slayer healing powers will look suspicious."  
  
"That's way too much blood," Xander said, coming up behind Spike with Anya in tow. "Look she can't even talk. Anya, call an ambulance."  
  
"No!" Spike repeated again, his blue eyes flashing at Xander.  
  
For a split second Xander felt anger rising up inside of him. Then he realized that Spike's eyes were filled with fear more then anything else. He thought Spike was heading into denial and maybe hysteria, fearful of losing Buffy again. "Look, I know you're afraid. But you've got to let somebody else look at her. Anya, call an ambulance."  
  
"I'm all right," Buffy said in a small voice.  
  
"See," Spike said.  
  
All Xander could see was that they were both delusion. Anya hovered in the middle of the floor unsure of what to do.  
  
"Wait!" Willow commanded. She was still standing in the same position, feeling what can only be described as exultation. The power that had flown through her was immense, invigorating. She had never felt so strong and omnipotent. Her friends might all be dead now if not for her. She had single-handedly thrown four people across the dimensional divides. "Let me look at her." Willow pushed Xander aside and took Spike's place in front of Buffy. She pulled open Buffy's shirt and saw at once that the bleeding had stopped and that healing was under way.  
  
"It wasn't a deep cut," Spike lied again.  
  
There was no reason for Willow or anyone else to argue, because none of them had seen how deep the knife had gone in except for Buffy and Spike. The cut looked ugly, but the edges of the skin were already joined under a long scab.  
  
"I think it's all right," Willow said, pulling her friend's bloody blouse closed again. And somehow no one dared disagree with her.  
  
Dawn leaned her head on Buffy's shoulders and began to cry. Tara knelt at her side and brushed back her hair, giving her what comfort she could.  
  
"I'm all right," Buffy whispered.  
  
"She's probably just in shock," Willow said. "Her color's not bad."  
  
"No," Spike said.  
  
"Maybe we should get her something to eat?" Anya asked. "I have some yogurt in the fridge in back."  
  
"That might be good," Willow said.  
  
Anya went at once to fetch it, glad of finally being able to do something. "It's just plain old vanilla," she said, handing it to Spike along with a plastic spoon.  
  
Spike ripped off the yogurt cover and started to spoon out some for Buffy. But she took it out of his hands. "I can do it," she said. "I'm all right." Silence fell over the group for a moment as they watched Buffy eat. She ate a little and then she got spooked by having all their eyes on her. "Please. I'm all right. I just need to rest a bit. I'll be OK."  
  
"You sure?" Xander asked.  
  
Buffy nodded. "You should all take Dawn home. She's had enough for one night."  
  
"I'm not leaving without you," Dawn insisted.  
  
"I'm all right. I just need to rest for a bit. And you're all making me nervous staring at me."  
  
"We were all just worried," Tara said.  
  
"I appreciate that. But I'm all right. Now everyone, just get out of here and let me rest."  
  
"Are you sure?" Xander asked. "I don't think we should leave you alone."  
  
"I'll stay with her," Spike said.  
  
Everyone looked at Spike for a moment. And then their eyes traveled back down to Buffy still on the floor. Remembering the earlier revelation about Spike and Buffy's relationship, they stood in silence for a moment.  
  
"Well . . ." Anya said, the first to speak, "Xander has his car. We could drive everyone home."  
  
Dawn reached for Tara's hand and wrapped it around herself.  
  
"I'll sleep over with Dawn," Tara said.  
  
"You won't be too long, will you Buffy?" Dawn asked.  
  
"No. Not too long," Buffy answered.  
  
"Good," Willow said. "If you change your mind and want us to come back and get you, just give us a call."  
  
"I will."  
  
Willow led the way as Anya piloted Xander toward the door. Tara and Dawn followed arm in arm. As soon as the door closed behind them, Buffy became agitated.  
  
"Where's my jacket," she asked trying to get to her feet.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Spike said, trying to support her under her arms. "You can't just go leaping about. Maybe we should get Xander back here and let him drive you home."  
  
"No," Buffy insisted, "I want my jacket."  
  
"OK," Spike said. He helped her to the circular table. "You stay here and I'll look for your jacket. Did you leave it in the training room?" Spike headed into the dark back room and found it hanging on a peg. By the time he got back to Buffy she was sitting on the round table.  
  
"Give it to me," she said. And immediately she began rifling through the pockets at last pulling out the single eagle feather. She ran it over and over in her hands and across her face, trying to get comfort from it. "I guess everything the Guide told me is true." She opened her blouse again. It was already drying in puckered brown splotches.  
  
They both looked at the wound. Its color was improving steadily, though it had a ways to go yet. Buffy ran her hand over the scabs and raised her eyes to Spike's. He responded by petting her cheek.  
  
Outside in the street, Xander was still voicing uncertainty. "I really think we should stay," he said to Anya. "In case she needs something. Or in case it takes more then Spike to get her home."  
  
There was also an unspoken question amongst them all, as to whether Spike would be staying with Buffy once he got her home. This was a whole new situation for them, one that most of them hadn't seen coming. And why hadn't they seen it coming anyway, they asked themselves? Why had they not realized how close the two had become?  
  
"You can go back if you want to," Willow said. "I can drive. And you can pick up the car when you come over for New Year's tomorrow."  
  
Xander liked that idea at once. He pulled out the car keys and handed them to Willow. "You sure you don't mind?"  
  
"Not at all," Willow said confidently. Because confident was exactly what she felt. In fact, she'd never felt better. She thought she understood now what Amy had meant about cutting off part of herself. She was a witch. That's who she was. And she was a valuable member of the Scoobies because of her talents. She thought she'd proved that once and for all that night. And she was thinking seriously of taking Amy's advice about joining Rack's coven. She could learn so much from them. And in turn, that would make her an even more valuable member of the Scoobies.  
  
Xander barely waved as his car pulled away without him. Resolutely, his feet immediately headed back in the direction of the shop.  
  
"Are you sure . . ." Anya said, following slightly behind.  
  
"Of course I'm sure," Xander said. "She's our friend. We can't just leave her there alone."  
  
They rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of the shop door. Anya had the shop keys out, ready to hand them to Xander. But the darkness outside pulled their eyes to the scene then taking place inside. Buffy was still sitting on the round table, with Spike standing just at her side. They had their arms around each other and Buffy's face was half-buried in Spike's chest. It was an intimate pose, one of comfort and perhaps of love. Spike's chin rested on her hair as he gazed thoughtfully to some invisible point on the floor.  
  
Xander and Anya stood for a moment and watched.  
  
"I think she's in good hands," Anya said, softly to her fiancé.  
  
He looked a moment more and said, "Yeah. We'll see her tomorrow."  
  
With that, they threaded their arms around each other's waists and began the walk home.  
  
"You know, you held yourself really well against Eric today," Anya said approvingly.  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yeah. And he was a big time amateur wrestler in his day."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"But you got that knife out of his hand real fast."  
  
"I guess I did, didn't I? But I couldn't have done it without you. You kept distracting him by hitting him over the head. If you hadn't done that, I woulda been a goner. Not only do you think fast in a fight, you're also really cute."  
  
Anya gave her man a special squeeze. "Oh, I betcha say that to all the ex- demons." 


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four - New Beginnings

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR  
  
New Beginnings  
  
  
  
As if turned out, Spike took Buffy home that night and stayed with her in her room till almost daybreak. Then she sent him off. "I want to break them into this gently," Buffy said. "Besides, after the shoplifting thing, I really need to have a serious talk with Dawn. Your being here will just distract things."  
  
"You're not trying to get out of this now, are you Slayer?" Spike asked, before he agreed to leave her nice warm bed.  
  
"No. I just need a little breathing space today. You can come back and be your usually impossible self tonight."  
  
"How's your war wound?" he asked.  
  
Buffy pulled the sheet back from her chest. The wound that should have killed her was still in evidence in the form of a long scab. But the discoloration from the night before was already gone.  
  
"How does it feel?" Spike asked.  
  
"Like a scratch," Buffy said, running her hand alongside of it. "When it happened, I felt pain. Not with the first cut, but as he drew the knife down. Then I felt life starting to fade away with the bleeding. But, not for long. This numbness hit me next. And I sensed that my insides were starting to sew themselves back together. By the time you got to me, I knew I was going to be all right."  
  
Spike petted the side of her stomach gently. "You really should have asked that bloody Guide to be more exact about what can hurt you now. So we could be careful about avoiding it."  
  
"I think I know," Buffy said. "I spent a lot of time thinking instead of sleeping last night. You were doing your dead man imitation as usual." She reached for the eagle feather that was within easy reach on her nightstand and started stroking it. "The Guide said I could still be killed, only not so easily as before. I think she would have mentioned it if I could only be killed by something special like a stake in the heart. I think I'm just not as susceptible to injury as I was before. Sorta like my slayer healing powers were upped a notch or two."  
  
Spike clenched and unclenched his jaw. "You gotta tell 'em, you know."  
  
"What is it with you? Do you always have to tell everybody everything as soon as possible?"  
  
"Well, yeah. And it's not like you just learned this yesterday."  
  
"I had it confirmed yesterday."  
  
"What? Are you gonna wait till Dawn's hair starts turning gray and she asks how come yours is still a natural blond? . . . I mean, almost a natural blond. Cause you're not actually a natural blond. But pretty close to it."  
  
Buffy slapped his hand. "Well, neither are you."  
  
Spike smirked and stroked her jawline. "So when are you gonna tell 'em?"  
  
"Soon."  
  
"Better. Before something else happens and you're forced to tell it all in a rush, like yesterday's confession."  
  
"Yeah, but . . ."  
  
"No buts, luv." Spike got up from the bed and started searching for his pants. "Stuff like this has a way of catching up with you. Put it off and it only gets bleeding worse."  
  
"And why are you such a pain this morning?"  
  
"Someone's gotta tell you these things, luv. And since your old watcher's not around. I suppose it's gotta be me."  
  
Buffy threw a pillow at him. But Spike wouldn't take the bait. No roughhousing till that long scab on her stomach disappeared. It sounded as if she were healing from the inside out. But there was no way of being sure. He put the pillow on the foot of the bed and finished dressing. "You try and get some sleep," he said just before he left.  
  
"Yeah, right," Buffy said. She pulled the eagle feather up before her face again and continued stroking it.  
  
When Buffy heard tentative footsteps in the hall, she got up and put some clothes on. Someone was in the bathroom. A glance toward the other bedrooms told her it was Dawn. So, she waited out in the hallway till her sister appeared. "Hi," Buffy said softly.  
  
"Hi," Dawn answered.  
  
"You ready for breakfast?"  
  
"You gonna make it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"OK."  
  
"Why don't you get dressed and I meet you downstairs."  
  
Dawn nodded and padded back to her room. Buffy took her turn in the bathroom, but still managed to be downstairs first. What to make for breakfast. They had only had one egg and a few frozen waffles. She decided the waffles would work well if she heated up the maple syrup. A dash of cinnamon to might actually make them seem festive.  
  
By the time Dawn got downstairs, the waffles were in the toaster and the syrup was heating in a gravy pitcher in the oven.  
  
"Almost ready," Buffy said. "Orange juice?"  
  
Dawn gave a shrug of her shoulders and Buffy took that as a yes.  
  
The waffles were a little overdone, but they were good enough with butter and syrup added. It wasn't real clear, though, that the two they'd saved for Willow wouldn't be totally cardboard by the time she got downstairs.  
  
"So," Buffy said, crunching away, "when did you start on the life of crime."  
  
"That's not funny."  
  
"It wasn't meant to be. When did you start doing all this?"  
  
Dawn did another shoulder shrug. It was becoming her favorite method of answering questions.  
  
"It doesn't sound like you were stealing anything valuable. So what was it for? Kicks?"  
  
Again a shoulder shrug.  
  
Buffy was beginning to see how annoying her refusal to talk must be to Spike. "I used to do that when I was your age. Maybe it's just part of growing up. But it can get you into real trouble, you know that?"  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
Buffy reached across the table to touch Dawn's arm. "I care. You're the person I love most."  
  
"It doesn't seem like that."  
  
"Well, it's true."  
  
"I just need you to notice me sometimes. To not treat me like a baby."  
  
"Well, what you did yesterday isn't likely to make me think of you as an adult."  
  
"You're always busy. Expecting everyone else to take care of me."  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."  
  
Dawn's lips bunched in and out. "How come you didn't tell me? I mean, you and about Spike."  
  
Buffy leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply. "I couldn't."  
  
"You could've trusted me. Even if you thought you couldn't trust anyone else, you could've trusted me!"  
  
"I know. It's just . . . I didn't know where it was going."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"I still don't."  
  
A sparkle crept into Dawn's eyes. "Did you see everyone's face when they found out yesterday? I thought Xander was going to swallow his tongue."  
  
"I didn't notice. I was too busy being embarrassed."  
  
"Did you two really have wild sex all over town?"  
  
"Oh!" Buffy said, closing her eyes. "I could've staked for saying that."  
  
"Is it true?"  
  
"No! And even it was, I wouldn't tell you."  
  
"Aw, come on."  
  
"How did you find out, anyway?"  
  
"I saw you two kissing outside on Christmas Eve. And a few minutes later you came in announcing you were going patrolling. Considering how you two were going at it out on the porch, it didn't take much to figure out what you were really planning on doing. So, how'd it start?"  
  
"As part of the dancing demon's spell, we did this big song and love scene. And it just sort of went on from there."  
  
"Wow! That long ago? And you didn't tell me?"  
  
"No. I kept hoping it would go away."  
  
"But it didn't." Dawn nodded sagely. "Spike has a way of hanging in there."  
  
"Yeah, whether you like it or not."  
  
"So, was he here last night?"  
  
"Yes. But I sent him home before daybreak. I told him I wanted to spend some time with you."  
  
Dawn nodded. "Is he coming tonight?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Now that everyone knows, I don't think we could keep him away."  
  
"That's OK. I like Spike. I always have."  
  
"I remember."  
  
"You know," Dawn said, "we're really going to have to do a major shopping trip if we're going to have people over tonight."  
  
"It's just the gang."  
  
"Even so, it's like we have nothing in the house to feed them. Hey! If Spike is your boyfriend now, shouldn't you start keeping bags of blood for him?"  
  
Buffy cringed at the thought and at the word boyfriend. So much for a normal life. Most girls kept a beer or two in the fridge for their boyfriends. Was she going to have to keep bags of blood? Gross! Really, gross! "I hadn't thought of that. But I suppose I will . . . Eventually. But tonight he'll just have to bring his own." Buffy brought her head down onto arms. "What have I gotten myself into?"  
  
"It all right," Dawn said, reaching a hand over to pat her sister's arm. "It'll work out. You'll see. Spike really loves you. And it'll be nice for me, having a big brother."  
  
"Yeah, who drinks pig's blood and goes all smoky in the sun. What will Giles say?"  
  
"We'll break it to him by letter. Tara maybe could write it. She knows how to make things sound all warm and fuzzy and everything."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
By the time Willow came down, the waffles that had been made earlier weren't suitable for eating anymore. But that was all right. Willow cheerfully fixed herself the lone egg instead. Absolutely nothing could have gotten her down that day. She was feeling glorious and powerful beyond measure. She also asked if Spike had stayed over.  
  
"Yes and no" Buffy answered. "He was here, but I sent him off early so I could spend the day with Dawn . . . and you."  
  
"Great!" Willow said. "Then we have the whole day to shop! I have the whole menu planned out for tonight . . ." And she began to list off their plans for the day. Evidently she didn't think Buffy and Dawn should have any say in the matter. After a brief clean up, she pushed them out the door. There wasn't anything difficult in her dinner plans. In fact, she saw them mostly eating coldcuts and salad. But she was feeling so energetic and alive that she could barely contain herself.  
  
Buffy and Dawn exchanged an occasional uncertain glance, but they followed Willow without question. It was actually fun getting out among all the crowds of people and doing last minute New Year's Eve shopping. The line in the supermarket was endless. But everyone was in a festive mood.  
  
When they got back to the house, Willow descended on the kitchen and began putting together salads and pulling out the bowls and platters they would need for the evening. Dawn plopped herself in front of the TV and Buffy took a nap in her room.  
  
Somewhere about two o'clock in the afternoon, the phone rang. Willow was in the process of mixing some kind of fruit punch, with just a hint of cheap champagne. She thought it might be Anya calling back to continue their argument about how much they should spend on the champagne she and Xander were supposed to be bringing for midnight toasting. So her "Hello," was just a bit gruff.  
  
"Hello," an uncertain young male voice said.  
  
"Hello," Willow said, trying to sound less frightening.  
  
"Is Dawn there?"  
  
"Sure. Who can I say is calling?"  
  
"It's Zachary. I'm one of her friends from school."  
  
"OK, I'll get her for you." Willow pushed the "hold" button on the phone so she could go racing into the livingroom without the young man hearing. "Dawnie!" she screamed as if she'd just heard news that they'd won several million dollars in he lottery. This was the first time a boy had called Dawn at home and she was very excited to say the least. "Dawnie! There's a young man on the phone for you . . . His name is Zachary!"  
  
Dawn looked up from the television at Willow's ecstatic freckled face. "What?" she asked, not comprehending.  
  
"There's this guy named Zachary on the phone. He says he's a friend of yours."  
  
Now Dawn got it. Her eyes opened wide and she sat up really straight. "Zachary? Oh.My.God! You're kidding, right?"  
  
"Not at all. And if you don't get there pretty quick, he'll probably think I've hung up on him."  
  
"Oh, no!" Dawn yelled, running for the kitchen.  
  
Willow stayed back and sat herself on the couch. She understood how she was the first time Oz had called her. She knew Dawn would want her privacy. Still, she switched off the television so she could hear as soon as Dawn put the phone down.  
  
"Hello?" Dawn said, her heart beating loudly.  
  
"Dawn?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's Zachary."  
  
"Oh, hi." She tried to sound casual, but it was really really hard.  
  
"I was just wondering if you're free to go to the movies on Saturday."  
  
"The movies?" Oh.My.God! "Why, sure."  
  
"Great. I'll talk to you about it during the week at school then. My parents have a whole bunch of old people coming over tonight and I have to help them get ready."  
  
"Sure. I understand. It's the same thing here."  
  
"I'll talk to you later then. Bye."  
  
"Bye," Dawn said. She put down the phone with a shaky hand and screamed the top of her voice. Willow came running in immediately.  
  
"So?" Willow said. "Did he ask you out? I can tell by your face he asked you out. Right?"  
  
Dawn still couldn't speak. She jumped up and down and screamed again. Willow did the same.  
  
Upstairs still napping, Buffy assumed they were under attack. She grabbed a stake and came running. When she burst into the kitchen she found Willow and Dawn hugging each other and nary a demon or vamp in sight. "What happened?" she asked breathlessly.  
  
"Dawn's got a date for Saturday night!" Willow announced proudly.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked. "I thought the world was ending."  
  
"No," Dawn said. "I think it's just beginning."  
  
"Not so fast, young lady," Buffy cautioned. "You're supposed to be grounded, remember?"  
  
"Oh, but Buffy! You can't say no. You can't! This is just the most important event in my life."  
  
"It is," Willow agreed. "A girl's first date is like a rite of passage, you might say."  
  
Buffy put the stake she'd been carrying down on the island counter. "I think we'd better talk about this," she said, waving for Dawn to follow her into the livingroom.  
  
Dawn exchanged looks with Willow and did as she was told.  
  
"You've got to let me go!" Dawn whined to Buffy's back as they came into the livingroom. "You've got to. If I tell him no, he may never ask me out again."  
  
Goodness, Buffy thought, being a parent was really tough. She wanted Dawn to go, she really did. But questions had to be asked and ground rules had to be set. "First of all, I have to ask . . . Is he a vampire?" She sat down on the couch and Dawn sat next to her.  
  
"No. But like it is so hypocritical of you to ask that."  
  
"Ah, ah, ah. Both Angel and Spike have proven themselves in various ways by working on our team. You meet a vampire who works with us a couple of years at the risk of his own life and I'll think about saying yes to your dating him. Not before. OK?"  
  
"But Zachary is SO not a vampire!"  
  
"Is he a demon?"  
  
"No. He's an average sort of guy at school. He's on the outer ring of the in crowd. And his father owns a hardware store downtown."  
  
"All right. And what are you two going to be doing on Saturday?"  
  
"Going to the movies, that's all."  
  
"Uh-huh. And what about your being grounded?"  
  
"Can't you make an exception in this case. I mean, it's really really really important!"  
  
Buffy had to agree with that. Her little sister finally seemed to have a chance at the normal life she'd never had. How could she say no? "All right."  
  
"Yeah!" Dawn started bouncing up and down on the couch.  
  
"BUT!" Buffy interrupted, "You have to make it an early night. And you can't go out with him during the week, unless you bring him here to the dining room ONLY for a study date. Otherwise, you're to be here by sundown . . . Or I send Spike out looking for you. If your grades drop any more, you can forget about doing anything social ever again till after you graduate. Those are the rules. Do you understand?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Dawn said trying to look more serious. But she threw her arms around her sister's neck and kissed her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"  
  
Buffy wanted to say, you're welcome. But she was afraid it wouldn't sound authoritarian enough. "Now. Go on and see if Willow needs any help in the kitchen."  
  
"OK," Dawn said, flying off. As soon as she hit the kitchen room, she and Willow started into another series of squeals.  
  
Buffy smiled to herself and switched on the TV again. Maybe this parent thing wasn't going to be so bad after all.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The Scoobies, being a night crowd anyway, began their little New Year's celebration on the late side. This gathering was more festive then the Christmas Eve one. Willow was now the life of the party and the proverbial hostess with the mostest. Anya talked even more about the wedding. Dawn was in teenage heaven and Tara seemed to be glowing right along with her.  
  
As for Buffy and Spike, the group as a whole wasn't quite sure how to act around them yet. Sensing this, the vampire and slayer tended to stay apart most of the evening. And they didn't give way to any outward show of affection either. Anya and Xander in comparison, were all over each other.  
  
At some point in the evening, Spike and Xander met at the punchbowl in the diningroom where Willow and Dawn had laid out the food. There was a definite air of discomfort between them at first.  
  
"Harris," Spike said, trying to be casual.  
  
"Spike."  
  
Silence fell between them for a moment, each of them wanting to say and do the right thing.  
  
Then Xander said, "So, when did you decide to get into the whole jewelry thing?" His tone was the same snide one that he had always used toward Spike. "Isn't gold supposed to be bad for vampires?"  
  
"You're thinking silver," Spike said, matching Xander's tone. Sticking to the style of communication they had set so long ago seemed sensible to him too. "And that's for werewolves, you ninny."  
  
"Sorry. I'm getting my monsters mixed up."  
  
"You guys finally get that seating arrangement worked out for your wedding?"  
  
"I thought we did. But as usual, I was wrong. We have a couple of changes to make. Also, Anya whispered to me a little while ago that we really should make room for Dawn to bring a date . . . just in case. Can you believe it? Dawn dating?"  
  
"Time moves on, Harris. Time moves on."  
  
"So, it does."  
  
At midnight, the group toasted each other and exchanged wishes for the New Year. Dawn gave everyone the biggest happiest hug of all time. The only strain was between Tara and Willow. They just weren't sure how to act as they passed each other during all the midnight kissing.  
  
At one o'clock the party started breaking up. Anya and Xander were the first to leave, followed shortly by Tara. Buffy and Dawn started tidying up. But Willow insisted that she would do it all the next day because she had time.  
  
Spike sat on the couch as Willow and Dawn both said goodnight and headed for their rooms.  
  
For a moment Buffy looked at Spike. "Well, I guess I should be getting to bed too . . . to sleep, I mean."  
  
"Yeah, right," Spike said getting to his feet.  
  
For a moment Buffy wondered if he might be getting ready to leave. But when their eyes met, she knew he intended to stay. She started up the stairs and he followed her to her room, closing the door after him.  
  
This is silly, Buffy thought to herself as Spike locked the door. She felt like a virginal bride on her wedding night, all nervous and shy. He'd been there the night before of course. But that had been a special case. This was an official sleepover, that everyone would know about in the morning, that everybody assumed tonight. Their relationship had formally changed from back alleys to her bedroom. Her heartbeat picked up as he approached her.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked, unbuttoning her blouse. "How's your wound?" He pulled the pink pieces of material apart and looked. The scab that had formed earlier was now starting to fall away, revealing pick new skin. "Good," he said, running his hand gently over it. "It looks much better." And he pulled her into him for a long lingering kiss. 


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five - A New Game in Town

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE  
  
A New Game in Town  
  
On New Year's day Willow was the first one up. She cleaned up the remains of the party from the night before. Then she went out, saying she was going to visit a couple of people from school. Buffy took Dawn to the movies. She was still trying to make up for what had happened recently. And if her little sister was about to start dating, it was less likely that they'd be able to do much sisterly bonding anymore. As for Spike . . . he headed into town to the back room of the Willy's demon bar for a little kitten poker. After all, he still had Tiger the loan shark to pay off.  
  
Spike's luck was really good that day. He played several rounds and was way ahead. To tell the truth, he cheated very little. Just the tiniest little bit so he could pay Tiger a nice round number at the end of the evening. His final round was played with three demons of varying types. There was one that resembled a coyote, with a long narrow snout and blunted claws and a bushy tail that stuck out of his trousers. There was a fishy looking guy with several tentacles. And a small fuzzy Nazari demon, one of the kind that he and Xander had rescued from the Torrado before Christmas.  
  
Spike thought it was strange for a Nazari demon to be out and about playing poker. They were very much into the subterranean scene. And since they were strictly into eating creepy crawlies, it seemed odd that they'd play kitten poker. But then, it was strange for Spike to play kitten poker too. So, he pushed the thought from his mind, figuring that this particular Nazari was a rebel like himself.  
  
It was getting late and Spike's cards were on the weak side. He already had enough winnings to put a smile on Tiger's bizarre face. So, he didn't see any reason to continue. He threw in his cards and prepared to leave for home . . . home to Buffy's. What a wonderful thought.  
  
As he got up he was vaguely aware that the Nazari demon was also trying to settle up and leave. For a split second Spike wondered about it, because he'd gotten the impression that the little guy had pretty good cards. But he soon put it out of his mind as he turned in his winnings to Tiger's rep in the bar proper. When he went outside, Spike was very surprised to find the Nazari waiting for him.  
  
"Mr. Spike?" the diminutive Nazari said, raising a furry hand with sharp little claws.  
  
Spike raised his dark eyebrows and glanced around in both directions to make sure this wasn't some sort of trap. But there were only the two of them in the alley. "What?" Spike asked approaching cautiously.  
  
"Sorry to bother you. I . . . I didn't want to talk to you inside where everybody could hear. I've been coming for several days now, hoping to meet up with you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The talk is that you're working with the slayer?"  
  
Spike took on a more aggressive pose. "Yeah? So what?"  
  
"Nothing. Except you and one of her men rescued one of my people last month, as well as several other demons. We thought the slayer was interested in killing demons . . . all kinds of demons, no matter who they were."  
  
"The slayer doesn't bother demons who aren't nasty. You keep your nose clean, she leaves you alone."  
  
"I am so happy to hear that. Because there is some trouble I think she should know about."  
  
"What kind of trouble?"  
  
"You know that the Nazari and the Shadow demons are very friendly with each other, yes? The Shadows like to live in old abandoned buildings and we like to live in the basements of those same buildings."  
  
"Yeah, so," Spike said impatiently.  
  
"So, the Shadow demons have been under major attack lately from the Fire demons. Usually their battles are short lived and over only small bits of turf. But this time, the Fire demons are acting as if they're possessed. Their fireballs are stronger then they should be and they seem determined to chase both us and the Shadow demons from the area of Lindemann Avenue near where the old railroad used to be. There are many old buildings down there and several old mines dating back to the gold rush era. Oh, it is a lovely place to live! So many water bugs and . . ."  
  
"I'm sure," Spike interrupted.  
  
"But the Fire demons are systematically taking it all over, building by building, basement by basement. They can't be doing it all themselves. Someone must be upping their powers. But who? The Fire demons are a very proud and snippy lot. They don't have any friends in the demon world that I know of. We're afraid someone may have hired them on."  
  
"And you want the slayer to look into this?" Spike could just imagine himself trying to get Buffy to agree to that! . . . Gee, Buff, he imagined himself saying, do you think we could extend your slayer work to include helping out a bunch of little furry demons and a rash of shadowy ones that can fade through walls. Not bloody likely!  
  
"Please Mr. Spike. I can arrange for her to have a meeting with the shadow demons down near the old railroad yards. The fire demons don't seem interested in those yet. Or in the old gold mine shafts"  
  
Spike groaned. "Look, mate," he said. "Can't make any guarantees, you see. But I'll talk to the slayer and see what I can do."  
  
"Oh, if you only would."  
  
"That's all I can promise."  
  
But the little furry Nazari seemed satisfied with that. His lips curled up in a furry smile, showing off his tiny pointed teeth and long sticky tongue. "Thank you, Mr. Spike. I will be here every night awaiting your answer." And off he went with a spring in his shaggy legs.  
  
Spike sighed and shook his head. He couldn't wait to see what he was going to say to Buffy.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Willow's steps were confident as she journeyed downtown to search for Rack's place. It was in a different location and it took some concentration, but after a while she found it. Even before she could sit down in the waiting room, Rack's door was open and he was escorting her in.  
  
"I sensed you coming!" Rack said, sliding his hand intimately up and down her arm. "I knew you'd come back. Did Amy tell you about my little offer?"  
  
"Yes," Willow said.  
  
"Then you will honor me by joining my coven? Good, good. You will learn many things, my little Strawberry. And become more powerful then you could ever imagine."  
  
"The only thing is, I'd like it if we could keep my friends from finding out, except for Amy that is. I don't think they'd understand."  
  
"Of course. Why should your friends have to know? It's actually better if they don't. Now, you missed the celebration of the full moon. But we are gathering again on Thursday, so I hope you will join us."  
  
"Yes. I will," Willow said, her freckled face shining with eagerness. She so wished to feel more of the power that she'd felt when she sent Eric and his crew away in a flash of light. This power was who she was. And she intended to embrace it in its entirety. 


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six - Branching Out

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX  
  
Branching Out  
  
  
  
By the time Spike got in, Dawn had already gone to bed. Buffy was in her room, but she wasn't asleep. Spike let himself in and kissed the top of her head as she sat trying to polish the scuff off her favorite shoes.  
  
"Eeww!" she said. "You smell like demon bar!"  
  
"Have to pay off my debt, Luv. And though I may smell of liquor, I haven't been drinking much. Can't drink and keep a sharp eye on the cards."  
  
"I won't ask how you did, the smile on your face says it all. It's just sick you guys playing for kittens. If that Tiger guy and his friends start hanging around again, you are outta here!"  
  
"How did you and Dawn enjoy your movie?"  
  
Buffy smiled. "It was nice. We haven't been together like that in a long time." She put the last touches on her right shoe and switched to the left.  
  
"It was a good sisterly sort of day then?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Spike leaned casually against Buffy's dresser. "So, guess what I met at the pub this evening, Luv."  
  
"Can't begin to guess. And I'm not sure I wanna know."  
  
"A Nazari demon."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A Nazari demon. You ever come across one? They're about thigh high . . . at least on me. On you, they're more like waist high. They're all furry and live in the basement of buildings and in other dark underground places."  
  
"You mean like vampires?"  
  
"Except we don't eat creepy crawlies like them."  
  
"No. I've never heard of them. And I'm not sure I want to."  
  
"Well . . . They've heard of you. One of them was playing poker with me tonight. And he asked me to relay a message to you." Spike tried to explain the whole Fire demon and Shadow demon thing to the best of his ability.  
  
"And this is supposed to concern me how?" Buffy asked, looking up from her shoe.  
  
"They thought you might help them out, Luv. Find out if the Fire demons are being backed by some kind of evil."  
  
"Let me get this straight, you want me to help out one group of demons against another?"  
  
"Well, yeah. Look, I thought it was silly at first too. But the more I think on it, the more it seems wrong for these Fire demons to act this way. I mean the Fire demons and the Shadows are mortal enemies and all. But they're evenly matched. Could be a right big nasty has joined up with the Fire demons. And that's something you as the slayer should know about."  
  
"I can't get involved with what sounds like a demon gang war."  
  
"But what if it's not? The Nazari have come to you for help, Slayer. Seems to me a hero type like you ought to at least talk to them."  
  
"Why would they come to me anyway?"  
  
"Because . . . they've heard you're honest and forthright . . . That you're the defender of the defenseless."  
  
Buffy gave him a look.  
  
"Also, Harris and I rescued a whole lot of demons a while ago from this big nasty and they think you were behind it."  
  
"You still haven't told me everything about this jolly jaunt you and Xander went on," she said, narrowing her eyes and shaking her shoe at him.  
  
"Sworn to secrecy, Luv. Harris didn't wanna look unmanly to his lady love."  
  
"Well, I don't care what you two did, the answer is no."  
  
"At least think about it."  
  
"No." She returned her attention to her shoe.  
  
"At least talk to Red and the other Scoobies and get their input. Couldn't hurt to have a few demon types thinking you're on their side. Take the edge off getting information. Cut down on the number of enemies. Think of it as a goodwill gesture."  
  
"No!" Buffy said, putting her shoe down and rising to face him. Her expression was off-putting, but he ignored it. Spike pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck and then her ear. She was resistant at first. But her breathing soon deepened and she pulled up his shirt and rubbed her hands over his bare chest.  
  
"Just think about it," he whispered.  
  
"No," she said. But her tone was not quite as insistent anymore. 


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven - Meeting

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN  
  
Meetings  
  
The next day was Dawn's first day back at school. Zachary made a point of seeking her out in-between the first two classes just to say hi. Then he made a point of sitting with her at lunch. After school he offered to walk Dawn home.  
  
"Sure," Dawn said. "Only, I'm not going straight home. I promised my sister I'd meet her and her friends at this magic shop. She's not happy about how my grades are going right now so she's kinda keepin' a short leash on me." Dawn made a face to communicate how much of a pain big sisters and parent types could be.  
  
Zachary nodded sympathetically. "I know how it is. I can give you some help with your studying if you like."  
  
"OK. If you want, you can walk down there with me." She was a little worried that Buffy and the Scoobs might scare him off. Because you never quite knew what was gonna happen down there. Some demons might come charging in to trash the place as part of their plan to take over the world. Still, she figured it was better to have him meet them sooner than later . . . before she got used to all the attention she'd gotten that day. "My sister will probably hang there for a while. And there's a place in the back where we can study."  
  
"Sounds good," Zachary said, the breeze lightly ruffling his light brown hair. "I'd like to meet your sister."  
  
Luckily, when they arrived at the Magic Box, everything was very quiet. There were only a couple of customers wandering through and Buffy and the Scoobies were huddled around the circular table in the center of the main room, listening to Buffy. The huddle stopped, however, as soon as Dawn and her male friend came over.  
  
"Hey," Dawn said.  
  
"Hey," Buffy said back.  
  
"Everybody, this is my friend Zack."  
  
"Hi," Zachary said shyly. And with good reason. Five pairs of adult eyes were checking him out very thoroughly.  
  
Buffy was looking for signs of him being a demon. Willow was giving him a wide-opened smile of welcome. Anya was just looking at him curiously. Spike was smirking slightly, thinking how bookish the boy looked. And Xander . . . well, he had more empathy for what the poor kid was going through then the rest did. Tara would have too, but unfortunately she wasn't there.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Zack," Xander said, trying to give him an I-know-how-it- is smile.  
  
"This is my sister, Buffy," Dawn said.  
  
Buffy had been half leaning over the table. She straightened up properly and wondered if she should shake the young man's hand or not. What was the proper etiquette? "Hi, Zack," Buffy said with the hint of a smile. She would have agreed with Spike that the kid looked bookish. At least he didn't look like a demon. One in the family was quite enough!  
  
"And these are her friends," Dawn continued. "This is Willow, and Anya, and Xander, and Spike."  
  
Willow, Anya, and Xander all said hi and tried to appear welcoming. But not Spike. He didn't say anything. Instead he gave Zachary a strong stare and a tight-jawed nod. He wanted to show the kid that the Summers women were not alone and defenseless. He figured that was part of his job as Buffy's now official boyfriend. Sure Buffy could have kicked the kid's ass downtown and back before he knew what happened. And Spike's chip wouldn't have allowed him to knock the kid over. But Spike knew that appearances go pretty far with men sometimes. If you look like the Big Bad, people will think that's what you are. And if you do it well enough, you never have to fight at all. He wanted this Zack kid to know Dawn wasn't some little helpless girl he could take advantage of.  
  
"Well, we'll just be going in the back . . . to study," Dawn said. "You guys can go on with whatever it was you were talking about."  
  
"OK," Buffy said.  
  
The adults all watched as the kids walked away.  
  
Zachary could feel their eyes on his back. But there was only one of them that made him nervous. "Your sister and her friends seem nice. But who was that Spike guy?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, he's my sister's boyfriend," Dawn answered. She hadn't seen the dark look that Spike had given Zachary. And if she had, she probably wouldn't have been impressed with it. She was real used to Spike's tough guy act by then. She knew the glaring eyes and verbal threats like, "I could rip your head off and drink from your brain stem," actually translated into stuff like, "I was desperately terribly worried about you because I care about you."  
  
"Oh," Zachary said. There really wasn't much else he could say. He just made a mental note to avoid Spike. The guy looked creepy.  
  
As the kids settled into their books, Buffy got to the end of her story about the Shadow and Fire demons. Spike had softened her on the idea of presenting the whole thing to the Scoobies somewhere between bedtime and awaking. "Spike wants us to meet with the Shadows as a sort of goodwill gesture," she said.  
  
"I told you there was something suspicious going on at Lindemann Avenue," Willow said, almost jumping up and down in her seat. "I sensed it! The whole thing just didn't sound right."  
  
"You mean, you guys have already been considering this?" Buffy asked. "How come I wasn't told?"  
  
"I noticed it last week," Willow said, "while I was cruising through the Sunnydale papers online. I told Xander and Anya and Dawn. But Xander and Anya told me no way. Fire and Shadow demon stuff never gets that big. It must be insurance fraud or something like that."  
  
"That's what it sounded like to me then," Xander said. "Now it sounds like some kind of demon gang war, like Buffy suggested."  
  
"It could be," Anya said. "But it's starting to sound suspicious to me too." She paused for a moment as the last customer departed the store, leaving them alone. "Fire demons are usually real independent. But if some group of them is being manipulated in some way and their powers are being upped, it could be a sign of trouble. I say we talk to the Shadows. A little PR among the demon population can't be bad."  
  
"What if they just want to involve us in gang war?" Xander asked.  
  
"Then we say no," Anya answered. "It should be very easy to figure out the truth. I've run across several Fire demons in my last thousand years as a vengeance demon. I'm sure Spike has too. We should be able to tell by the description of the battles if the Fire demon's powers are being toyed with. I say we go and powwow with the Shadows."  
  
Buffy sighed. This was not the reaction she'd been expecting. She'd assumed they would all side with her. That's why she had agreed to tell the Scoobies about it. On some level she had been hoping to put Spike in his place again. But it seemed to have backfired.  
  
"Seems you're outvoted, Slayer," Spike said.  
  
Buffy made a face at him and he smiled triumphantly. "All right then," she said, authoritatively. "We'll meet here tomorrow and go visit the Shadows. Xander, would you call Tara and ask her to come too? Also, I hope you don't mind driving us to the meeting site."  
  
"No problem," Xander said.  
  
"Willow, I don't think any of us have thanked you for what happened on Sunday. I hope it didn't compromise your sabbatical from magic."  
  
"Oh, no," Willow said. "I think in special circumstances it's good for me to use magic."  
  
Buffy wondered if she should argue this point. But she didn't. The truth was, they needed her magical abilities. If this thing with the Shadows turned out to be a trap or something, they would need Willow and Tara to create a diversion for them. "OK," she said. "Then until tomorrow. I've got to get Dawn home and concentrating on schoolwork."  
  
"I think she's concentrating on other things right now," Willow said, gesturing with her head to the back of the shop.  
  
Dawn and Zachary were sitting in front of several open books. Zachary was pointing at something in one of them and talking as if he were giving a lecture in study hall. Dawn's eyes were fastened on Zachary's face, studying the way his blue eyes looked behind his glasses and admiring the single freckle on his right cheek.  
  
"Uh-oh," Buffy said. She was remembering the first time she'd met Angel. She had a feeling she'd looked at him in exactly that same way. And she'd fallen for him quickly, like Dawn seemed to be falling for Zachary.  
  
"Aren't they cute?" Willow said with delight.  
  
"He seems like a nice guy," Xander offered.  
  
"A little too bookish for my taste," Anya said.  
  
"That's my girl," Xander said, rubbing her shoulder. "My woman only loves manly men who work in construction."  
  
"Not necessarily," Anya said. "But he has the look of a poet. And what's that line from that old musical . . . 'A poet only writes about the things he cannot do.'"  
  
Spike shifted uncomfortably. "Now, I wouldn't say that."  
  
"Well . . . I don't speak from experience, of course," Anya admitted. "It's only what I've heard. But it was from one of the Muse's, so I assumed she was a reliable source."  
  
"Yeah," Spike said. "Nobody values poets much."  
  
"Dawn," Buffy called, trying not to sound too much like a mother calling her kid in from play, "we're going now."  
  
"I'd better be off and tell that little Nazari about tomorrow," Spike said, getting up.  
  
The rest of Scoobies also got up and started milling about. Dawn and Zachary started packing up in the back.  
  
In all the movement, Spike felt comfortable enough to run his hand intimately up Buffy's back and kiss her briefly on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Luv," he whispered. "You patrolling tonight?"  
  
"After I have Dawn fed and settled in for the evening."  
  
"I'll look for you, then." And with another kiss, he was off.  
  
"You two are pretty intense," Willow said after he was gone. "I can see why you like him. He's got this sort of a sinister attraction on top, with this soft sensitive stuff underneath."  
  
"Yeah? Well, sometimes I just don't know what it is I see in him," Buffy admitted.  
  
"I don't know. There's lots of history between you two. Lots of chemistry. Now that I've seen you two around the house together, under close observation these last coupla days, I'm wondering why I never saw this coming. I mean, there are times when I think you two are gonna set the drapes ablaze just by looking at each other. You two have this fire between you that you and Riley never had."  
  
"You think so? I guess I wasn't with Riley for the fire. More for the steadiness. I thought I was all over that bad boy thing."  
  
"Maybe the bad boy thing just fits in better with being a slayer."  
  
"Maybe. But a big part of me still wants the sweet guy type, like Dawn's new boyfriend." Buffy glanced up at the new young couple in time to see Zachary straighten the collar of Dawn's jacket for her. "I really hope things works out for her."  
  
"Me too," Willow agreed.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - -  
  
As the Scoobies were going their way for the night, the phone was ringing in Jonathan's room. He let it ring for a very long time, staring at the phone pointedly. Should he answer it, he wondered. He knew who it was and he'd been avoiding it all day. Sooner or later, he had to answer it. "Hello?" he said nervously.  
  
"Where have you been?" Warren screamed on the other end. "I've been trying to get you all day. But your phone just keeps on ringing and ringing. Why don't you have your answering machine on?"  
  
"It's broken," Jonathan lied. In truth, he'd disconnected it. Because if Warren had left a message he would have felt more obligated to call back. It was now a little over a week since their fiasco with the power transference ray gun. At least Jonathan thought it was a fiasco. Warren seemed to think it was wonderful that Andrew had been totally absorbed into nothingness except for what got transferred into Warren.  
  
"I've got the ray gun all ready and it's time to go and look for the slayer," Warren announced.  
  
"How were your holidays?" Jonathan asked, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Ah, you know. My mother had all these people staying over. A couple of them went down into my workroom and it was all I could do to keep from using the ray gun on them."  
  
"But you didn't," Jonathan said.  
  
"No. My mom woulda had a fit if one of her guests suddenly went missing. And I probably wouldn't have gotten anything good from them anyway. Her friends are a bunch of losers. Anyway . . . I think we should start tracking the slayer tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Warren was going to say they should go looking for her tonight. One day could make all the difference. Maybe by tomorrow he could talk Warren out of it.  
  
"Yeah," Warren continued, "tonight Andrew wants to show me some tricks with one of his favorite video games."  
  
"Oh," Jonanthan said, swallowing hard. "That's nice." And then again, Jonathan thought, maybe there wasn't much chance of getting through to Warren at all anymore . . . about anything. 


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight - Home Sweet Home

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT  
  
Home Sweet Home  
  
  
  
It wasn't too late when Buffy got in from patrolling. Things had been pretty quiet on the demon front that night. She wondered if maybe they were all strung out from celebrating the holidays. Did demons celebrate New Year's? She had to remember to ask Spike. She would have asked him already if he'd met her on patrol as he said he would. She'd looked for him, but he hadn't shown. And she was more then a little ticked off about it.  
  
When she walked into the house she found Willow and Dawn watching television. It looked like some old Alfred Hitchcock movie in black and white. They both gave her a perfunctory hello.  
  
"Dawn, what are you doing up?" Buffy said. "You should be in bed. It's a school night."  
  
"Just a few minutes more." Dawn said.  
  
"It's almost over," Willow put in without looking away from the screen.  
  
"Not too many more minutes," Buffy said, heading for the kitchen to look for a snack. There was still plenty of food left over from New Year's. She pulled out a bowl of macaroni salad and some cold cuts, loaded some on a plate, and sat down at the counter island for a post-slay snack.  
  
By then, the movie Willow and Dawn had been watching was over. Willow stayed glued to the screen to see the credits and watch the news. Dawn came out to the kitchen to join her sister.  
  
"So, how was slaying tonight?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing special. Pretty quiet really." Buffy speared the last few macaroni on her plate and shoved them into her mouth.  
  
"So . . . I didn't get to ask you before you went out on patrol. What did you think of Zachary?"  
  
"He seems nice," Buffy said with a judicious nod. "I like him."  
  
"Yeah, he's cool." A dreamy teenaged smile spread over Dawn's lips and she swooned over the counter island.  
  
"He seems to like you a lot."  
  
"I think so. And he's really good in school. So, he can be lots of help to me in studying."  
  
"Fine. Just remember the rules."  
  
"Oh, I will. But I expect he'll be over for lots of study dates."  
  
"Not tomorrow. We're all going on this big meeting downtown with these demon types. I don't want you hanging out here all alone with him."  
  
"And what do you think we're gonna do?"  
  
"Nothing. That's why he's not coming over."  
  
"Thursday then?" Dawn asked, bobbing up and down. "Would that be OK?"  
  
"Thursday is fine."  
  
It was just at this point that Spike walked in from the livingroom carrying a medium sized paper sack. "So!" he said. "You beat me home, Slayer."  
  
Buffy cringed slightly at the word home. Was this Spike's home now, she wondered? Exactly what had she gotten herself into?  
  
"Shouldn't you be in bed, Nibblet," Spike said.  
  
"Shesh!" Dawn said. "It's not THAT late."  
  
"Yes, it is," Buffy agreed. "Get! Or Zachary's not coming over on Thursday either."  
  
Another pouty face passed over Dawn's face. But she didn't argue.  
  
"Good night, Niblet," Spike said.  
  
"Good night," Dawn said, flapping away in her bedroom slippers.  
  
"You're getting good at this mother stuff," Spike said, trying to give Buffy a peck on the cheek.  
  
"And where were you?" Buffy said, pulling away.  
  
"Got caught up a bit longer at Willy's, that's all. I looked for you at the cemetery. But I sensed you'd already been there and gone. Place was quiet tonight. Not hopping as usual with a lot of nasties."  
  
"Don't tell me you were playing kitten poker again."  
  
"Just a round or two. Hardly ever happen from now on, I promise, Luv. Figure I'm a family man now and have responsibilities."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes.  
  
Spike started unpacking his brown paper sack into the refrigerator. It was several bags of blood.  
  
"Oh no!" Buffy said. "You're NOT leaving all that lying out in the open in the refrigerator where everyone can see it. Dawn's new friend might see, take one look, and run screaming out into the street."  
  
"Can't have that. Don't worry. I'll leave them in the sack tucked away where they won't be noticed." Spike piled all but one of the blood bags back into the brown paper and stuffed them well out of the way in the refrigerator. Then he went rooting around in the cabinets for a mug. He chose one with a wide yellow smiley face on it.  
  
Buffy watched him as he emptied the reserved bag of blood into the mug and slipped it into the microwave to heat it. Then he took off his duster and hung it casually over the chair next to her. Spike looked relaxed and at home. It was a very domestic scene really, except for the fact that he was a vampire prepping a cup of blood for his dinner.  
  
I can't believe I'm doing this, Buffy thought to herself as she watched him. What have I gotten myself into?  
  
The bell on the microwave sounded and Spike pulled it out. He moved to sit next to Buffy but she waved him away. "Oh no! Take that thing away from me, I don't want to see you drink it."  
  
"Why?" Spike asked. "It's not the first time." But he obediently sat a comfortable distance away from her.  
  
"Maybe not. But it's still disgusting." She shook her head. "I don't know what it is I see in you."  
  
"Actually, I think the same thing about you sometimes, Slayer. You're not the easiest person to live with either."  
  
Buffy sent Spike a nasty look.  
  
"Oh, don't give me that. When all is said and done, my late evening snack is neater then yours. Just one cup is all I need to clean up. Look, see how you've got macaroni and mayo all over the place."  
  
"Do not!" Buffy remonstrated. But there was no denying it was true. She unobtrusively tried to hide a stray macaroni under the edge of her plate.  
  
"No need to tidy for me, Luv. I don't care. But you shouldn't go talking." Spike finished drinking and carried his cup to the sink. "See," he said, turning on the water and giving his cup a scrub. "Quick clean- up." He stuck the cup into the crowded drainer.  
  
Buffy grumbled under her breath and gathered her dish after surreptitiously gathering up the lost macaroni with a napkin. She tossed the napkin in the garbage and started washing her dish in the sink, eyeing Spike as he stood next to her through narrow eyes.  
  
As usual, Spike ignored her attitude and used the fact that her hands were busy to his advantage. He wrapped himself around her back, kissing her neck as he ran his hands up and down her hips. "You didn't tell me how patrol went tonight," he said in a low voice."  
  
"It was quiet," she answered, leaning back into him.  
  
She put the clean plate down in the sink. And Spike turned off the water.  
  
"Time for bed?" he asked.  
  
"Hey!" Willow called coming in from the livingroom. "On the news just now, they were talking about yet another fire on Lindemann."  
  
"Another one," Buffy said, pulling away from Spike.  
  
"Yeah. I'm really kinda glad we're looking into this. I just had this feeling of things not being right. You know?"  
  
"Well, the little Nazari demon seemed very happy about our coming to talk to the Shadows tomorrow night," Spike said leaning back against the sink. "He was bowing all over the place."  
  
"What are the Shadow demons like?" Willow asked. "I saw some pictures. But how do they act?"  
  
"I've only met a couple of them in underground tunnels. They're quiet and rather aloof, from what I've seen. Most people take 'em for ghosts when they see 'em. Fire demons are aloof too, but they're more talkative when you confront 'em. And they growl a lot too. Tomorrow, Slayer, I think you and Anya should take the lead. She probably has more experience with the Shadows then I do. Willow and Tara can keep a watch out behind you, ready to throw up some magic if we need it. And Harris and I will follow next, in case we need muscle in going out the way we came in."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Willow agreed.  
  
Buffy frowned. She wasn't happy about Spike having so many plans. Unfortunately, this one made sense. So she couldn't really disagree with it. Having someone in her life who suggested plans whether she liked it or not was going to take some getting used to.  
  
Spike pushed off the sink and planted himself against Buffy again. "What do you say, Slayer?" he asked. The question might only have been in reference to the Shadow meeting. But there was a secondary question as well in the way he was subtly rubbing against her.  
  
"It sounds like a good plan," she admitted.  
  
"Good. Then we'll be turning in now," Spike said.  
  
"OK," Willow said. "Good night."  
  
"Good night," Buffy said.  
  
Willow smiled as she watched Buffy and Spike go. What busy bunnies they were. She wondered how much sleep they actually got during the night. They were deep into that phase where new lovers can't keep their hands off each other. It made her really lonely for Tara. Her own bed was so cold and empty. She was hoping that joining Rack's coven would fill up some of the void.  
  
"You know," Buffy said after she and Spike were out in the livingroom. "You don't have to have so many ideas."  
  
"You mean, my battle plan? Sorry, Luv. I was basically telling you that I think Anya's more qualified to judge this Shadow thing then I am. I'm better off bringing up the rear with Harris. If you have another plan, I'm all ears."  
  
There was no way she could argue with his logic. She just wasn't comfortable with him as a full member of the team yet. She continued grumbling to herself as she went upstairs and turned into her bedroom. He followed after her and closed the door as she switched on the light. She was about to make some further arguments when he zapped to her side with vampire speed.  
  
"I've got some other ideas too," Spike said provocatively, cornering her against her bureau. "Wanna hear?"  
  
"No!" Buffy said. And with a growl she pushed him back across the room and onto her bed. Slowly she advanced towards him. "As it turns out, I've got a few ideas of my own. I hope you're up to it. Cos it was a slow slaying night and I've got a lot of excess energy. And since we can't make that much noise, it's just gonna take all that much longer." And with that she pounced on him and roughly started pulling off his clothes, her only words from then on a series of low growls.  
  
There were still quite a few things that Buffy had to come to terms with in their relationship. But this was one thing, about which she had no complaints. 


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine - Shadowlands

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE  
  
1 Shadowlands  
  
The next evening, Xander parked his car right outside of the Magic Box so they could make a quick exit to their meeting with the Shadows. All the Scoobies were inside when Jonathan drove the van belonging to the Triad (minus one) up on the other side of the street.  
  
"That's where they usually hang out," Warren said, snapping the Diamond of Gunab into place on the power transference ray gun. He'd been carrying it in his pocket before that. He hated having it too far away. "We just sit here and wait. Get the motor running as soon as you see the Slayer. I'm hoping we can soak up her power quickly, before her friends try and attack. But if they start coming at us, we've got to be able to move fast. I don't know if this gun can zap all of them at once."  
  
"Uh . . . Okay." Jonathan said nervously. He kept tapping his left foot against the side of the van.  
  
"Will you quit that! You're making Andrew all edgy."  
  
"Uh . . . Okay. Sorry, Andrew." Jonathan couldn't believe he'd actually said that. How could he be talking to Andrew? Andrew wasn't here. He was dead. Maybe he was part of Warren's brain somewhere. But basically all Jonathan saw was Warren going mad."  
  
"Patience, patience, Andrew!" Warren remonstrated with the unseen personality of his dead friend. "You're just as impatient now as you ever were. Being dead sure hasn't improved you any. . . . . I told you, shut up! I need both you and Jonathan to be quiet so I can concentrate on zapping her as soon as she comes out."  
  
Jonathan strangled the cry that was trying to break out from his throat. He didn't want to be here. Not at all! The more Warren talked to himself . . . to Andrew, the more frightened he became."  
  
Inside the Magic Box, Buffy was giving last minute instructions. She ended with, "If anyone senses trouble in there, please feel free to say so. Any questions?" Buffy paused for a second and Willow raised her hand. "Willow?"  
  
"I've got some handouts for you and Xander and Tara, so you know what the Shadows and Nazari demons look like. That way you won't be surprised." Willow stood up and shoved the print-out pictures from her laptop into her friend's hands.  
  
"These Shadows are creepy looking," Xander said.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "But the Nazari are kinda cute. Sorta little teddy bears with sharp teeth and claws."  
  
"Well, at least the Shadows don't seem to have any teeth," Xander continued.  
  
"No," Anya said. "Their mouths are like suckers. It makes their voices sound all moany. They also have the ability to change their molecular structure temporarily so they can glide through walls and things. So most humans who run across them think they're ghosts."  
  
"Are they violent?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not at all. But they can extinguish a Fire demon fireball by breaking their bodies apart and absorbing the energy into themselves. That's why the two demons are usually pretty equal in a fight. The fireball would have to be abnormally large to hurt a Shadow. Too much light hurts them. Fights between the two are usually about posturing more then anything else. The side that postures best wins."  
  
"Why do they have suckery mouths," Xander asked.  
  
"Because they eat lichen and mold," Anya explained. "They have scratchy little tongues too. They might be difficult to understand when they talk."  
  
"Well, if they are," Spike said, "Get the Nazari to talk. He's supposed to be there and he's quite easy to understand."  
  
"Right," Buffy said. "Sounds like fun. How about weapons? What works against the Shadows in case they attack."  
  
"Oh, most weapons won't work on them," Anya continued. "Because they can break apart like I said. But light, a large amount of light maybe in a spell would stun them and hold them back for a bit."  
  
"We can do that," Willow said.  
  
Tara didn't like the eagerness in Willow's voice, but she said nothing.  
  
"Anything else?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No," Anya said. "But when you talk to them be as serious as you can. The Shadows are a very serious people."  
  
"OK. So, we'll try not to joke," Xander quipped.  
  
"And try not to make any sudden moves. They sort of float when they walk and sudden movement scares them."  
  
"Fine. Then if the demon lecture is over, we're ready to hit the pavement," Buffy said.  
  
Since Spike happened to be nearest the door, he was the first one to exit. Xander came right behind him and headed for the driver side of the car. Buffy came next but she and Spike did this little shuffle with him opening the door for her and her trying to push him out of the way. Anya ended up getting in the car next to Xander with Buffy after her. Tara, Willow, and Spike ended up in the back seat.  
  
"Can't even be gentlemen," Spike complained under his breath.  
  
Across the street Warren couldn't get a clear shot at the Slayer. Once again he had the muzzle of his gun slipped discreetly out the door of the van. "She keeps moving around," he complained. "One second I think I've got her and then that Spike guy gets in the way. . . . . . Yes, I know, Andrew! The gun only works on humans, so it's pointless to shoot it at a vampire. You think I wasn't there when we tried it out before Christmas? Sheesh!"  
  
Jonathan took another deep breath and started up the van. "Maybe we should follow them?"  
  
"Are you asking me?" Warren said angrily. "Of course we should follow them. Come on, there they go." He shut the van door and braced himself as they took off after Xander's car.  
  
"Where do you think they're going?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Who knows? All we can be sure of is that the Slayer is not coming back. Me and Andrew are gonna have some female company tonight. Right, Andrew?" And he chuckled in reaction to whatever Andrew was supposed to have said.  
  
Xander's car entered the unpaved area of the abandoned railroad yards just outside of town, kicking up dust at it went. It came to a stop next to the entrance to an old mining shaft. Jonathan followed, but not too closely. He came to stop just behind an old building a good distance away from the shaft.  
  
"What are you doing?" Warren asked. "Go up to them so I can get her coming out of the car."  
  
"I . . . I don't think so," Jonathan said, his voice trembling. "We don't know why they're here. Could be something horrible nearby, something demonic that we couldn't fight. I think we're safer getting closer to their car while they're inside and then getting them as they come out."  
  
Warren smiled with appreciation at his friend. "Now THAT's a good idea, Jonathan. Andrew's been saying how you haven't come been coming up with any good ideas lately. But I think that was one. Don't you Andrew? . . . . . Yeah, Andrew says he thinks so too. It won't do us any good to get involved in a battle with demons. Keep the motor running in case the Slayer loses and we have to make a dash for it."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Near the mine shaft, Buffy and her compatriots were preparing to go in. "You think this place is safe?" Buffy said, throwing her question back in Spike's direction.  
  
"Yeah. The Nazari said that his people and the Shadows have made sure it's secure. Evidently a lot of their kind have taken to living in it lately."  
  
"I'm gonna hold you responsible if the roof caves in," Buffy said.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not so eager to be buried," Spike said. "Been there, done that."  
  
"Ditto," Buffy agreed. She led the way inside with Anya just behind her and the rest of the troop following in the agreed on formation. "Hello?" she said tentatively.  
  
"Hello," a voice answered.  
  
"It's the Nazari," Spike whispered.  
  
From one of the side tunnels the little Nazari appeared bearing a torch. With him was the tall thin figure of a Shadow demon. In the light of the flames the sucker mouth of the Shadow looked like a big round O. His long limbs and torso were a deep furless gray. His head was as round as his mouth, with only the slightest indentation where his ears should have been. His eyes were pure black and didn't shine.  
  
"This is Ohanzee," the little Nazari said, nipping forward into the middle of the taller beings. "He's the leader of the Shadows."  
  
"And I am Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."  
  
"Yes, of course," the Nazari said. "We know you by sight. You have been seen many times by both of our peoples while in battle. We didn't show ourselves then because we are naturally shy. And we believed that you were the enemy of all demons. But I told Ohanzee what Mr. Spike and his friend did for some of us. And he thought we might ask you for help."  
  
"So talk."  
  
"Ohanzee's voice may be difficult for you to understand. But he's going to try and explain what's been happening. I'm here to explain more if it's needed."  
  
"OK. Fine."  
  
"My people have lived here for over a hundred years," Ohanzee began. His voice was moany and singsongy. Like wind blowing through a crack in a wall. He would have been impossible to understand if he'd spoken quickly. But his words tended to be slow and separated from one another. And that made it easier. "We live in the towers of the town for less time. We have met the Fires in battle often. But never have they been so strong. Now it is changed. Their fire weapons are great, too great for us. And there are more Fire demons then we have ever seen before. Tower after tower, they have fought with us. And we have lost. Many have died."  
  
"Died?" Anya asked cutting in. "Oh . . . sorry, Ohanzee, I'm Anya. I'm a former vengeance demon. I've lived over a thousand years, so I've met many of your kind. You say many of your people have died? Usually your people are able to disassemble harmlessly around the fireballs of the Fire demons."  
  
"That is true," Ohanzee said with a slow nod of his round gray head. "But these are not balls. They are jets of flame. We can absorb fireballs because they fade quickly. Fire blasts we have no power against for they continue and we are absorbed in the flame."  
  
"Wow," Anya said.  
  
"But you should see yourself, the towers. They will tell you."  
  
"Right. So we'll take a look at the burnt towers like you say," Buffy said.  
  
"Someone is aiding the Fire demons. Giving them power they never had before."  
  
"If that's true, we'll try and find out who," Buffy promised.  
  
"Thank you," Ohanzee said with a stiff bow. "It is all we ask."  
  
"Well, at least the Fire demons don't seem to want this lovely place," the little Nazari said.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy agreed wryly, eyeing the dark damp walls around her. She hated to think what was hiding up on the ceiling and crawling past her boots. "We've got to be going now. I'll have Sp . . ., uh, Mr. Spike get back to you."  
  
"Of course," the little Nazari said eagerly. "I will look out for him at Willy's."  
  
Willy's! The last thing Buffy wanted was for Spike to hang out some more at Willy's. But unfortunately it couldn't be helped.  
  
As they walked out of the mine, Buffy led the way. Tara was right behind her with Spike coming third. As soon as they were out in the open, a blue light shot out at Buffy. It engulfed her and held steadily. "What the . . ." she said. She held her hand up in front of her and gazed at the blue that reflected around her. Everyone stopped behind her in surprise.  
  
"It's not working!" Warren screamed in the van. "Why isn't it working? It's supposed to work!"  
  
"Maybe something's wrong with it," Jonathan offered.  
  
"No, it's supposed to work on humans." In aggravation, Warren turned the blue light on to the person immediately next to Buffy. That was Tara. This time something happened.  
  
Tara's face started to contort in pain and she gasped as if she couldn't get any air. Her hands shot out in front of her, scratching, trying to push back the blue glow. Then her body stiffened and she let out a cry.  
  
"Tara!" Willow called.  
  
Spike was right next to the young witch. He stepped into the blue light to shield her from it. It immediately engulfed him instead, without incident. As soon as the connection with Tara was broken she fell to the ground. Willow was with her in an instant, cradling her in her arms.  
  
"Tara! Are you all right," Willow asked. But all Tara could do was wheeze.  
  
Meanwhile, Spike started running along the band of blue light to its source. Xander was close behind. Spike was able to reach the Nerd van and grab the nose of he ray gun just as Jonathan hit the gas pedal. As the van tore away, Warren lost his grip on his precious gun and it flew out of the partially opened door into Spike's hands. A loud cry of "Noooo!" sounded from inside the van, but Spike was unable to recognize the voice because of the speed the van was moving.  
  
The momentum of the departing van separated the Diamond of Gunab from the gun. It rolled a couple of feet and stopped just in front of Xander.  
  
"What's this?" Xander asked, instinctively reaching for the large diamond. It was glowing a light shade of blue.  
  
"Don't touch it!" Spike yelled. "That looks like that diamond Red told us about. The big one they stole from the museum last year."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"And if it is, there's a curse on it, remember? It drives humans mad, but doesn't have any effect on non-human types like me." Spike scooped it up and held it so Xander could get a better look. It wasn't glowing as much now.  
  
"So who was driving the van?" Xander asked. "Did you get a look?"  
  
"No. They took off too fast."  
  
Spike and Xander joined the others back at the mouth of the mining shaft.  
  
"Didn't see who did it," Spike announced. "But we found a nice little bauble and a gun of some kind." He held up his prizes.  
  
"That's the Diamond of Gunab," Willow said. She was sitting on the ground with Tara in her lap. Tara was breathing regularly now. But she was still very weak.  
  
"I wonder what they were trying to do with it," Anya said.  
  
"Looked like they were trying to attack Buffy," Spike said. "And then decided to switch to Tara."  
  
"Yeah. But it didn't hurt Buffy . . . Or you, for that matter," Anya continued. "Why did it hurt Tara?"  
  
"My guess is that the diamond is supposed to fit in here." Spike held up the gun and slipped the diamond into place. "Then it's supposed to direct some kind of power from the big rock."  
  
"I felt like my whole life force . . . And my mind were being pulled out of me," Tara said, clinging to Willow.  
  
"Power transference," Willow said. "That's supposed to be one of the powers of the diamond."  
  
"If Spike hadn't stepped in front of me . . ." Tara said weakly.  
  
"It couldn't hurt him because he's not human," Willow said.  
  
Suddenly silence fell across the group as they considered. The diamond hadn't hurt Spike or Buffy. Only Tara.  
  
Spike looked down pointedly bracing himself for the realization that the Scoobies were about to come to. Buffy shifted her booted feet uncomfortably.  
  
Of course it was Anya who asked the question. "Why didn't the blue light hurt Buffy?"  
  
Again there was a moment of silence. Buffy continued kicking dirt at her feet.  
  
"Buffy . . ." Spike urged.  
  
But still Buffy remained silent. She had wanted so badly to keep this secret of hers hidden for a bit longer.  
  
"She's not human anymore," Spike blurted out.  
  
"What?" Xander said.  
  
"We found out accidentally . . . because we got into this fight and I hit her and my bleedin' chip didn't go off."  
  
"WHAT?" Xander said louder.  
  
"So, she went out into the desert and talked to the Guide and she told Buffy she's immortal now. She can die, but not quite as easily as before. And she won't change any. She's gonna stay like this till she dies in battle or some such bloody thing."  
  
"Is there anything ELSE you two haven't told us about?" Xander asked angrily.  
  
"No. It's just she was scared to tell you."  
  
"We're her friends."  
  
"I know. But she really cares what you think about her. Me? She couldn't care less what I think about her."  
  
"Buffy?" Xander said.  
  
"I couldn't tell you," she answered. "I just couldn't. I was going to wait."  
  
"Until when?" Xander demanded.  
  
"Until I got used to the idea. The knife wound I got from Eric the Ugly's henchman? It was a whole lot worse then I told you it was. It should have killed me. It would have . . . in the old days, before I came back."  
  
"She was scared," Spike put in.  
  
"Will you just be quiet, I'm talking to Buffy now," Xander said, waving at Spike. "You should have told us."  
  
"I couldn't."  
  
"We're your friends. You should be able to tell us things."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Buffy," Willow said, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"S'okay. It's just gonna take some getting used to."  
  
"On top of everything else," Willow said.  
  
"Maybe we should get Tara to a doctor," Anya suggested.  
  
"No. I'm feeling better," Tara said. "Just a little whoozy."  
  
"We'll take you home," Xander said.  
  
"No! We'll take her to Buffy's," Willow insisted. "I'll take care of her."  
  
"You don't have to," Tara said.  
  
"Of course I do," Willow said. "I love you."  
  
Carefully Willow and Buffy helped Tara to her feet. Then Xander lifted her up and put her in the car.  
  
"Dawn's gonna be so worried when she sees me like this," Tara said.  
  
"She'll just be glad that you're all right," Buffy said.  
  
Nobody talked much on the way to Buffy's. And their goodbyes after they arrived were very subdued. Spike handed off the ray gun and diamond to Buffy. Then he carried Tara into Willow's room. Luckily Dawn was already in bed and asleep, so they wouldn't have to make any explanations about what happened until the next morning.  
  
All of Willow's attention was on Tara of course. She got her some food and some special herb tea that was supposed to have healing properties. Then she hovered over her with worried eyes. They didn't say much to each other. But words weren't necessary. Each pretty much knew what the other was thinking.  
  
Buffy hid the ray gun and the diamond in the furthest part of her closet so no one could come upon it accidentally. She and Spike said nary a word to each other till they were both in bed. He gave her the physical space he sensed she wanted, letting her stay on her spot near the outside of the bed without touching. But he knew he had to make her talk. Of course, that was never easy.  
  
"You're going to have to tell Dawn tomorrow," he whispered.  
  
"I know," she said, looking up at the darkened ceiling.  
  
"They had to find out sooner or later."  
  
"I know."  
  
"At least Tara is all right."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It's good to see the witches together again. At least for the moment. We really have to find out who had the diamond. If they're human they're probably halfway to buggersville by now."  
  
"You think they're human?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. They were obviously trying to transfer your slayer powers over to themselves. Less likely a demon with powers of his own would do that. Also, most demons don't go driving around in a van with sci-fi pictures painted on it."  
  
"Sci-fi pictures?"  
  
"Yeah, you know. Didn't get a good look at 'em. But they looked other- worldly, you know? Maybe you could get Red on the old computer and see if she can learn anything about the van. Then you and Anya should check out those burnt buildings on Lindemann. But do it in the daytime so you're less likely to meet any ill-tempered Fire demons. They don't like the sun anymore then the Shadows or my lot do."  
  
"Nice to see you have my whole day planned out for me. What are you going to be doing tomorrow?"  
  
"While you were hiding the gun and the diamond, Willow asked me to keep an eye on Tara while she's at school."  
  
"Fine. You can be here to greet Dawn and her new boyfriend after school."  
  
"Sounds like fun," Spike said with a wicked laugh.  
  
"You be nice to that boy or I'll have to hurt you. This is important to Dawn . . . for Dawn. To have a nice normal teenage boyfriend."  
  
"I know," Spike said, reaching over to rub her stomach. The scars from the knife wound she'd received just before New Year's were completely gone by then.  
  
At his touch, Buffy turned into him and buried her face in his chest. 


	40. Chapter Forty - Indentities

CHAPTER FORTY  
  
Identities  
  
The next morning Buffy tried to head Dawn off in her room before she got ready for school. She sat her down on the bed and told her everything that had happened the night before. Dawn was very upset. She was very worried Tara had gotten hurt and as for Buffy's immortality . . . "What do you mean you're immortal?" she demanded, as if Buffy had gotten herself that way on purpose just to disconcert her.  
  
Patiently, Buffy told her the whole the story. But Dawn didn't like the idea of her sister keeping yet another secret from her. It was important information and she felt left out of the loop, just like she had with the stuff about Spike. It made her feel like she wasn't trusted or that Buffy saw her as too young to understand.  
  
"You should have told me," Dawn said over and over again.  
  
"Yes. I know. But I was afraid."  
  
"We could have been afraid together," Dawn said jumping up. "Sister's are supposed to share that stuff."  
  
"I was wrong not to tell you. But I didn't tell anyone else either. Spike only knew because he figured it out by accident."  
  
"You still should have told ME! Sometimes I think you just don't care about me."  
  
"You know that's not true."  
  
Dawn leaned over her sister and ticked off her complaints. "You lock me out. You don't tell me anything. You treat me like a kid."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Sisters aren't supposed to do that. They're supposed to help each other. Confide in each other."  
  
"I know."  
  
Dawn ground her teeth together and said, "I'm going to see Tara now." And before Buffy could respond she was off down the hall to Willow's room.  
  
Spike's shadowy form appeared at Dawn's doorway. "You should have told 'em, Slayer."  
  
"Don't you start on me."  
  
"Just sayin' . . . You lock people out too much."  
  
Buffy got up from Dawn's bed and pushed past Spike. "I'd better make Dawn's breakfast."  
  
Willow put on the sunniest of dispositions for Tara that morning. She just glowed as she prepped for school, giving Tara instructions for the day and telling her about her own plans. "Now, Spike will be here to take care of you. I would stay, only I have this big test in the class I was in danger of flunking last semester."  
  
"I'll be fine," Tara assured her, sitting up in bed. "You've served me breakfast in bed and I have a vampire butler. What more could I want?"  
  
"Well, don't go wandering around. Stay in bed. And I've left my beeper number there by the phone so you can call me if you need anything. I'll come home right after my last class, so we can be together tonight. And is there anything special you want for dinner? Cos I can fix anything you'd like."  
  
"I'll be fine. Really. In fact, I'm sure I'll be back on my feet and in class tomorrow."  
  
"You just be careful today," Willow cautioned. And she gave Tara a kiss and hurried on her way.  
  
Somewhere about lunchtime Spike knocked on Tara's door. It was already open and Tara was sitting up reading one of her schoolbooks. "You want lunch?" he asked.  
  
"Some soup would be fine," Tara said looking up.  
  
Spike seemed a little uncertain. "Right. Now, Red said you might be more interested in the salad stuff."  
  
"Salad is good. But I'd really rather have some soup."  
  
"Right." Spike disappeared from the doorway and was gone for several minutes. When he returned he held two cans of condensed soup he'd found in the cupboard. "Do you want French onion soup or chicken noodle?" he asked holding them up.  
  
"Chicken noodle will be fine."  
  
"Good." He looked puzzled again. "Do I heat it up or just bring it up in a bowl as is."  
  
"You can put it in the microwave in a bowl for about two minutes. That will be fine."  
  
"Right." Once again Spike disappeared for several minutes. This time he returned with the soup on a tray and a glass of juice next to it. He walked over to Tara with the nervous care of an amateur tightrope walker, taking his first walk without a net. His eyes were glued to the tray trying hard not to spill anything.  
  
Tara arranged herself and took the tray. Spike sighed with great relief and wiped his hands on his black jeans. "Anything else you'll be wanting?" he asked.  
  
"No. I'm fine. But you could sit down and talk to me for a few minutes. It's kind of lonely up here."  
  
"Right," Spike said. He pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and said, "So, how you feeling?"  
  
"Much better, thanks."  
  
"Good."  
  
"How's Buffy doing?"  
  
Spike sighed. "She's getting along. She didn't mean to brass everyone off. You know, by not telling 'em she was immortal. She just hadn't quite accepted it herself yet."  
  
"I know."  
  
"It's hard getting her to talk about anything. She's a closed one, Buffy is. Can't get her to talk if she don't want to and most times she don't want to. She'd rather fight then talk." Spike stretched his long legs out under the edge of the bed beneath the dust ruffle. "I thought women were supposed to be the talkative ones. But it seems like I'm always the one looking to talk and she's the one telling me to shove off."  
  
Tara laughed. "I don't have as much trouble with Willow. Except where Buffy's resurrection is concerned. She's still closed off about that."  
  
"Don't blame her. It's a lot thinking you saved your friend from hell and then finding out you pulled her from heaven instead."  
  
"And now she finds out that she made her immortal too."  
  
Spike nodded. "How you two getting along? Good then?"  
  
"Better." Tara looked down and swished her spoon around in her soup. "I'm thinking maybe I'll start staying here again. But not move in yet, you understand. Not till I'm more sure anyway."  
  
"I understand."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Spike said, "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll go down and watch the telly. If you like I can carry you down so you can watch too."  
  
"No that's all right. I've got some studying to catch up on."  
  
Spike rose to his feet and pushed his chair back into its proper place. "If you need anything just call and I'll be here right quick. I'll come and get your dishes later. Dawn is supposed to have this study date with the new guy today. I'll try and keep 'em quiet for you."  
  
"I'll be fine. You don't have to police them on my account."  
  
"They'll be quiet, don't you worry. Besides, Buffy wants they should stay in the diningroom so I can keep an eye on 'em and make sure there's studying being done."  
  
Tara smiled. She could just imagine how much Dawn and her new beau would enjoy having the vampire as a chaperone.  
  
Spike turned out to be a very intimidating chaperone. He circled the diningroom every few minutes, coming first from the kitchen and then from the front entryway, as if he were trying to catch them off-guard. In- between he sat in the livingroom in a position that allowed him to see what was going on between them at all times.  
  
"Does he need to keep staring at me," Zachary whispered behind his hand. "I feel like he's going to bite my head off any minute."  
  
"He's just protective of me," Dawn tried to explain. "There was this point last summer when my sister was out of town a lot and he took it on himself to watch out for me."  
  
"Well, I understand. But he really gives me the creeps."  
  
"It's all an act really. He's not as tough as he puts on. Once he likes you, there isn't anything he wouldn't do for you."  
  
"That's what they say about attack dogs." Zachary closed one notebook and opened another. "How'd you do on the history test today?"  
  
"OK. I did pretty well on the Civil War battles. But I couldn't follow the economics of the time quite as well. What I really liked was the stuff we learned about the women who fought in the war, like Sarah Rosetta Wakeman who dressed up as a man. And Lucy Ann Cox who followed her husband all through the war, into every battle, and served as a daughter of the regiment. I would of liked to know lots more about them. They were really rad!"  
  
Zachary considered her through his wire-framed glasses, his hazel eyes thoughtful. "I guess they were OK. But I have a hard time imagining women doing that."  
  
"Zachary Madden. Don't tell me you're a chauvinist, because I'll have to ask you to march right on out of here."  
  
"No. It's not that. I guess I've just never been one for the whole soldier thing for myself. So I can't imagine women being into it. I mean I'm friendly enough with Victor and those guys. But I can't imagine being a jock . . . or a policeman or any of those macho things."  
  
Dawn nodded. She thought he was cute the way he was. But she had trouble imagining what he'd think of her sister once he found out who she really was. The kids at school seemed to know something was different about Buffy. But they didn't have specifics. Eventually, if she and Zachary continued hanging around together, he was gonna find out the whole truth. Maybe if she broke him in slowly. "Well," she said off-handedly as if it were a joke, "my sister's a super hero, you know. So, I have rather the opposite impression."  
  
"What's that?" Spike called from the other room. He came in quickly, a looming figure in black. "What are you saying about your sister?"  
  
"See?" Dawn said to Zachary. "Protective. It's nothing, Spike. I was just telling Zack that Buffy is a super hero. But he thinks I'm joking."  
  
Spike squinted at Dawn, wondering what game she was playing at. "What are you studying?"  
  
"History," Dawn answered.  
  
"Oh! Well, I know something about that," Spike said. "At least over the last hundred years or so."  
  
"We're studying the American Civil War," Dawn said.  
  
"Oh. That was before my time. I mean . . . just before my time of study."  
  
Dawn tried to hold back a smile.  
  
"We were discussing the test we had today, Sir," Zachary said, addressing himself to Spike.  
  
Sir? Spike raised his eyebrows at the word. Was this young git calling him Sir? He set his jaw and gave the kid a dangerous glare. "Oh, yeah? And how'd you do?"  
  
Zachary gulped.  
  
"I did fine on some things," Dawn rushed in. "But I'm sure Zachary aced it totally. He's quite a wiz in school. Especially in English Lit. He's planning on being a Lit major in college and maybe teaching it after that or becoming a writer."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Spike leaned way over Zachary, making the hair on the poor kid's neck stand up. "So. You into all that literary stuff?"  
  
"He even writes poetry. Show Spike the poem you were working on today," Dawn encouraged Zachary.  
  
"Uh, it's not finished yet," Zachary said, looking fearfully up at Spike.  
  
"Sor right," Spike said. "I probably wouldn't like it anyway. Don't go in much for that nancyboy stuff. You kids go on back to your work. Your big Sis will be home soon." And with that Spike retreated into the livingroom."  
  
"Nancyboy?" Zachary whispered to Dawn.  
  
"Just ignore him. Like I said, he only talks tough. He's probably a closet poet."  
  
Zachary looked very doubtfully at Dawn. The last thing he could imagine Spike being was a poet. "Well, let's get back to the Civil War."  
  
"OK. Explain the Depression of 1856 to me again."  
  
Somewhere around four-thirty Willow came charging in. She was carrying a large brown bag from the supermarket. "How's Tara?" she asked Spike.  
  
"She's fine, Red. Gave her her lunch just as you said. And she's been resting all day."  
  
"Good. I brought all her favorite foods, so I can be sure she'll eat a good meal tonight. Here, you take this to the kitchen. I'm going up to see how she's doing."  
  
Spike shrugged his shoulders and did as he was told. He didn't enjoy much being the vampire butler. But it's not like you can argue too much with a powerful witch who can turn you into an undead toad. Better to just go along. Willow immediately ran up the stairs, breathlessly taking them two at a time.  
  
"Who's Tara?" Zachary asked Dawn.  
  
"She's Willow's significant other. They're just getting over this big fight. Tara's staying here for the moment cos she's sick. But I'm hoping they make up and that Tara will move in again permanently."  
  
"Oh," Zachary said, winding his hand through his light brown hair as he processed this information. Dawn's sister had a gay couple living under her roof. He'd never met a gay person before. But he had a feeling anyone would be easier to get along with then Spike.  
  
"So, how you doing?" Willow asked, walking in on Tara.  
  
"Much better," Tara answered with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, you look better." Willow sat on the bed and took her hand. "I hope you're planning on staying a few days anyway."  
  
"I was thinking about it."  
  
"Good. Because I bought all your favorite foods today and I'm planning on spoiling you rotten as long as you're here."  
  
"You're going to cook?" Tara asked uncertainly.  
  
"Hey, I'm not as bad a cook as I was. I've gotten better. I buy as many prepared items as I can and just sorta fake it. You'll see. It won't be bad at all. But I better go and get things started. You just stay here and rest. Is there anything I can get you?"  
  
"No. I'm fine."  
  
"Do you want me to have Spike bring you downstairs so you can watch TV?"  
  
"No. But maybe I'll come down for dinner."  
  
"OK. Good. We'll bring you down for dinner and make you comfortable on the couch after that so you can watch TV." Willow started out the door then came back. "Now, you're sure I can't get you anything?"  
  
"I'm fine. Really. Go on."  
  
"OK. But if you need anything just call. And if I don't hear you I'm sure Spike will, because vampire's are supposed to have this really great hearing."  
  
"Go on already," Tara smiled.  
  
"I'm going."  
  
It was starting to get dark by then. Willow cooked dinner while Spike took up a post at the front door watching for Buffy. As soon as he saw her he whipped open the door and called out, "Where were you, Slayer? I was getting worried."  
  
"Just stopped by the Magic Box to pick up a source book." She walked in past him into the entryway and he closed the door.  
  
"I told you, if those Fire demons are all charged up it could be dangerous to meet them after dark."  
  
Buffy nudged him sharply in the ribs and nodded in the direction of Dawn and her friend. He nodded back and they headed for the kitchen.  
  
"I was there and back in plenty of time," she said as they walked away.  
  
"Does Spike always keep such close tabs on your sister?" Zachary asked Dawn in a whisper.  
  
"No. He just worries, that's all."  
  
"And what are the fire demons? Are they like a bike gang or a rock band?"  
  
Dawn tried hard not to laugh. "Uh, they're a rock band."  
  
Zachary wondered what Spike had meant when he'd said they could be dangerous when they got all charged up. He assumed it had something to do with drugs. Well, at least Dawn's sister and her boyfriend didn't seem to be into that. But he still had one more question. "Why did he call your sister Slayer?"  
  
Now there was a question that was harder to make up an answer to. Only one idea came to Dawn's mind. "Uh, it's a nickname. You know. Like a pet name?"  
  
"Slayer???"  
  
"Yeah, well. Spike's strange that way."  
  
As far as Zachary could see, Spike was strange a whole lotta ways.  
  
"Buffy! You're home!" Willow called out as Buffy and Spike came into the kitchen. "What happened with the buildings on Lindemann? Did you and Anya learn anything?"  
  
"We didn't go too far inside because the place looked kinda unsafe and certain people who will remain nameless were afraid of us meeting the Fire demons." She shot Spike a dirty look.  
  
"Yeah, well you may be immortal, Slayer. But that doesn't mean you don't have to be careful. Remember Glory the skanky goddess died. You can too."  
  
Buffy made a face. "I would have ignored your warning if Anya hadn't been with me. I don't think I could have explained it to Xander if I'd gotten her burned to a crisp right before their wedding."  
  
"So, what happened?" Willow asked again.  
  
"There was an awful lot of fire damage. Those buildings got fried extra crispy. Anya says it couldn't have been done by regular Fire demons. I think me and Spike should check out the place more fully . . . during the daytime," she said, answering the question in his eyes. "Do you think you can get us there through the sewer system so you don't go all extra crispy?"  
  
"Have to think about it, but probably," Spike answered  
  
"Good. We need to look for clues as to who might be helping these Fire demons."  
  
"Then we're on the case, Slayer?"  
  
"Looks like."  
  
"Good, I'll run over to Willy's tonight and let the Nazari know."  
  
"Oh, no you don't! I don't need you playing poker all night, getting into kitten debt, and coming home smelling like liquor."  
  
Spike smirked. "But we've got to tell them."  
  
"That's right. The active word is 'we.' You and I will go over there together sometime during patrol tonight."  
  
"As you like, Slayer. But wouldn't we have time for one little hand of poker. I've only got a bit more to pay off on my debt."  
  
"No! You wanna go? Go during non-working hours. But during the night you belong to ME!" The last sentence was spoken especially loud, so Zachary and Dawn were able to hear it in the diningroom.  
  
"Your sister sounds kinda possessive too," Zachary said.  
  
"Yeah, well. You know. They're really close. Did you get this problem on page two hundred and thirteen?" she said trying to change the subject.  
  
"Dinner's almost ready," Willow said. "Will Zack be staying to eat with us?"  
  
"No. I don't think so," Buffy said. "He and Dawn have only just started seeing each other. I don't want him moving in here. I've got more men moving in here already then I can deal." She shot Spike a dirty look. "Besides, how am I gonna explain this one's choice in dinner menu?"  
  
"I can be discrete," Spike said. "And you know I don't mind regular food."  
  
"Still, he's leaving. I'll go in now and politely point him to the door." Buffy turned sharply and started toward the diningroom.  
  
"Spike," Willow said, "would you bring Tara down for dinner?"  
  
"Sure," he said. And he took off toward the upstairs through the livingroom.  
  
Willow smiled after them both. She was beginning to see that Buffy and Spike liked verbal sparring as well as the more physical kind. Being around them was never dull. And having Tara here was making everything feel like home again. She'd promised to go to Rack's that night to join his coven. But she didn't care about that anymore. This was where she belonged. Being a witch didn't seem such a big part of her identity at that moment. 


	41. Chapter Forty-One - Regrouping

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE  
  
Regrouping  
  
The next morning Rack was hanging in his parlor, ignoring everyone out in his waiting room. There was quite a crowd there too, because he had refused to see anyone during the night. About three AM they had started banging desperately at the door to his inner sanctum, refusing to obey his shouts to be quite. So he had cast a spell on the door so that it would give off a burning heat. He was angry because Willow had not shown up at his coven meeting the night before. Allowing the people in his waiting room to suffer was at least one way to get back at the world for letting him down.  
  
It was still very early when the little man who had visited Rack before Christmas came in. He had been the one who had suggested that Rack invite Amy into his coven with the hope of luring Willow into it as well. He'd come to hear what had happened the night before. But when he saw the crowd in the waiting room, he knew something was wrong. He noticed Amy the little blond rat girl off in the corner near the clock. She didn't glance at him when he came in. There were just too many people for anyone to notice a diminutive and wrinkled man like himself. He was the type people hardly ever gave a first thought to, much less a second. And that was fine with him. Better not to be noticed. It gave you more freedom of movement and action. What was it they said? The most dangerous enemy is the one you underestimate.  
  
The little man made his way to Rack's door and he saw by the glow what type of spell was on it. He wasn't a man of flash himself generally speaking. He preferred the old spells and legends, the harder stuff that most people didn't have the patience for. This door heating spell seemed a bit overdone to him. But that was Rack. He liked to show off. Youngsters! With a twinkle in his eyes, the old little man held up his flattened palm to the door without touching it. Then he made a shoving motion and the door flew open to admit him. Some of the other people in the waiting room tried to shove their way in around him. But they weren't able to move before he had crossed Rack's threshold. The man may have appeared old, but he was surprisingly quick. As soon as he passed inside, the hot door closed behind him.  
  
"So. I take it things didn't go well last night," the little man said.  
  
Rack was strewn over his couch, an angry look strung across his face. "She didn't show! Do you believe it? I offer her a place in MY coven and wait weeks for her to come around. Then she finally consents and what happens? She doesn't show."  
  
"The red-headed witch?"  
  
"Of course! Who else? This has never happened to me before! Once they're mine, they stay mine! To fail like this . . . . Well!"  
  
"Surely you're not thinking about giving up now. If I were you I'd send the rat girl to find out what happened. Then we can handle things from there. Really, Rack. You shouldn't let yourself get so excited. Before you know it, the witch will be part of your coven. And then our plan can move forward. You'll see. It will all work out."  
  
"I wish I had your confidence, Doc."  
  
"It all comes with age," he said waving a delicate hand. "After the first few hundred years, you learn to have patience."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
While Rack and Doc were having their meeting, what was left of the Triad was in Warren's basement. Jonathan was dozing restlessly in a lounge chair and Warren was working hard at his next project.  
  
If it had been up to Jonathan, he would have been on his way out of Sunnydale, trying to get as far as possible from his one time friend Warren. But that wasn't how things had worked out. Warren had basically ordered him to stay and keep him company while he worked on his next project. Since Warren was bigger then he was and he now seemed totally mad, Jonathan had agreed. He didn't understand why Warren needed him. From the first moment they'd returned from the railroad yard the night before, Warren had burrowed into his computer and hadn't come up once. Just as well, remembering everything that happened the night before, Jonathan was happy to keep his distance.  
  
After they had left the railroad yard, leaving both the ray gun and the diamond behind, it had been all Jonathan could do to keep Warren under control.  
  
"He has my diamond!" Warren had screamed pounding on the door of the van. "We've got to go back!"  
  
"No!" Jonathan said, driving erratically in order to keep his passenger off balance. "We can't go back. We don't have a weapon anymore and they outnumber us. We have to go. There's no other way. We can regroup and come up with another plan tomorrow."  
  
"But Spike's got my diamond!" Warren had wailed. "He took it! It's mine! It belongs to me!"  
  
"Yes, I know. We'll get it back. But you've got to calm down now."  
  
"No! I won't calm down! It's MY diamond! Not Spike's! I want it back!"  
  
"We'll get it back. Don't worry."  
  
But Warren would not be comforted. He started trashing the inside of the van, pulling down all the equipment that the Triad had so carefully assembled and built. Desperately Jonathan tried to think of what to do. There was really only one argument to try.  
  
"Warren . . . Warren, what does Andrew think?"  
  
Somehow this question reached Warren. He stopped, snuffling back tears of aggravation. "What?"  
  
"I said, what does Andrew think? Does he have any ideas?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Then maybe you should talk to him."  
  
Warren got quiet for a minute. "Andrew says you're right. There's nothing we can do tonight. He says we should go back to my basement immediately and start working on our next plans."  
  
Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief. If Andrew really was in Warren's brain somewhere, it was good to hear that he still had a bit of sense. It was clear Warren didn't anymore.  
  
By the time they got to Warren's basement, Warren already seemed to have come up with a plan. "Got to get back at Spike," he said over and over again. "I know how." He shuffled through some papers in a drawer and came out with some computer print-outs. They were the ones he'd done up before Christmas on Spike's chip. "These. These will give me my revenge and hopefully bring my diamond back."  
  
"Why is this diamond so important?" Jonathan had asked.  
  
"Because it IS!" Warren had yelled. "It's mine and Spike will pay for taking it! I can't be whole again without it."  
  
And so Warren worked through the night, examining the print outs and running scenarios through his computer for clues as to what the chip did. Jonathan literally jumped out of his chair when Warren suddenly let out a big growl and started throwing things at the wall.  
  
"What is it?" Jonathan asked snapping to attention. "What happened?"  
  
"AH! This is not going to be as easy as I thought. It looks like a very simple device. I would say that it has one basic operation." Warren got to his feet and began pacing, waving his arms for emphasis. "It's lodged in the area that has to do with the senses, feeling, seeing, touch, smell, etc. That makes me wonder if it's supposed to heighten or affect the senses in some way. Or maybe it's supposed to sense things along with him. Or maybe even for him. Or maybe it's some kind of combination of those things. I don't know. The funny thing is, it also seems to be sending out or picking up information from another area of the brain, the one that has more to do with intention and decision making. It's all very strange and very interesting. It's obviously going to take a few days to figure this out, even with both Andrew and I working on it. He's as stumped as I am."  
  
"Oh . . . Is he?" Jonathan said, trying to humor him.  
  
"He's not as computer savvy as I am, of course. But he's doing the best he can."  
  
"That's . . . nice."  
  
"First we have to figure out what it does. Then we have to figure a way to use it to our advantage. Perhaps affect its operation by remote control. Or at the very least make it short circuit, maybe blowing his brain out. That ought to get Spike's attention."  
  
"Yeah. I guess it would. Um, I'm thinking of going out and getting some breakfast or lunch or something. Do you and, uh, Andrew want me to bring anything back?"  
  
"No. Nothing for us. Andrew says he's hungry but I think he's just being a wuss. We've got real work to do here. And the faster we get this research out of the way, the sooner we can get back the diamond and begin our revenge."  
  
"Right. So, I'll just be gone for a bit," Jonathan said, backing up toward the door as Warren returned to his computer. "Whew!" he said to himself out loud once he was outside. "Warren's turned into like a mad scientist."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Willow's steps were lighter that Friday as she attended classes. Tara had felt well enough to go to class and the two of them had been meeting in-between as much as they could. It felt so good to be back together. Every time Willow saw her, her insides churned with delight. Tara was back. Her Tara. Could there be anything better then this?  
  
It was just after noon and Willow was heading to the cafeteria to meet Tara for lunch, when Amy stepped into her path. She hadn't seen the other witch coming. She was too busy thinking about Tara.  
  
"You weren't at Rack's last night," Amy said, getting right to the point. Her tone was accusatory and her expression icy.  
  
Willow took a moment to get her thoughts off her lover and onto the question. "Oh, yeah . . . No, I didn't go."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Cos Tara and I got back together. She's even staying with me again. I don't know if it's permanent. But I'm gonna do everything in my power to make it that way. I've got to give her all my attention right now."  
  
"So, you're back in prison."  
  
Willow matched Amy's hard expression. "Tara is not a prison. Love is not a prison. Look, I'm sorry you've never had a relationship like this one, but Tara is like my whole world . . . my other half. Without her, nothing else really matters."  
  
"Sure sounds like a prison."  
  
"Well, it's not. A prison is where you get held against your will. Love isn't like that. I hope you'll find that out someday."  
  
Amy took a step closer. "Well, what about family? The coven is your family. That's love too. They'll take care of you and look out for you."  
  
"They don't even know me. How can they be my family? Look. I'm glad you've found something there. But it's not for me. Not now. Tara comes first." And with that Willow stepped resolutely away from Amy and continued on toward the cafeteria. She didn't look back because she felt she'd left that world behind.  
  
Amy knew Willow. By the tone of her voice and the serious glint in her eyes, she knew Willow meant what she said. The other times they'd talked about Rack, there had been this little hint of uncertainty flickering at the edge of her eyes. But not this time.  
  
When Amy got back to Rack's, the waiting room outside of his inner sanctum was still horribly crowded. However, Rack sensed her presence and admitted her immediately. Doc was there as well, standing not far from the door.  
  
"What news, my dear?" Doc asked in his pleasant voice.  
  
Amy looked sideways at the diminutive man. For some reason he made her nervous. "There's a problem," she said. And she told them about her meeting with Willow in full detail. "I think she really means it this time," Amy said at last. "She's not coming back."  
  
"At least not as long as Tara is around," Doc said, stroking his cheek thoughtfully with his fingers. "So . . . We'll just have to remove her."  
  
"What's your plan?" Rack asked.  
  
"Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of everything. You say Tara is staying with Willow, my dear?"  
  
"That's what she said," Amy answered. "But I don't know if it's all the time."  
  
"That may make things a little more difficult, because I'll need to get Tara alone. In the bloom of returning love they will probably be quite inseparable at first. So I may have to wait for a little while. But it's only a matter of time." Doc moved toward the door and prepared to leave. "You probably won't be hearing much from me for a while. But when you do, be prepared to move quickly. Our poor friend Willow will be in much need of comfort."  
  
And with that, he waved his right hand to open Rack's door and was gone. 


	42. Chapter Forty-Two - Underground Evidence

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO  
  
Underground Evidence  
  
On Saturday morning Buffy and Spike were up and out early. Their task for the day was to find more evidence about the fires downtown. Since Spike couldn't travel above ground in the sun for long, they moved quickly toward the nearest sewer system. He left the smoking blanket he'd used to cover himself near the entrance so he could use it again on their return trip.  
  
"This tendency of yours to burst into flames is a real bummer," Buffy observed."  
  
"Luv, if I could change it, you know I would."  
  
"So, which way do we go?"  
  
"We take this long tunnel here and follow it for about a mile. Then we take a quick left and then another left. And follow along another tunnel. That should take us under some of those burnt out buildings."  
  
"Let's go to it, then," Buffy said.  
  
Each of them was wearing a belt with several long throwing knives, covered over by their leather coats. The Fire demons were vulnerable to normal weaponry. However, because of their ability to throw fire balls, it was best to stick to long range stuff like cross bows or throwing knives or guns. Buffy had nixed guns. She was afraid if they had a confrontation in the sewer that ricocheting bullets would cause more harm then good. As for cross bows, they were a pain to reload and one shot wasn't likely to take out a Fire demon the way it could a vampire. So they had settled on the knives.  
  
"Remember," Spike said as they stepped between broken bottles and other better unknown objects, "You can tell that a Fire demon is about to throw a fireball because when he brings both hands to his chest. That means he's gathering energy. They always send their biggest ball of fire first. All those after that are smaller in size. They can't send one after the other, because each of them takes a toll on their inner energy supply. The best time to throw a knife is in-between fire balls. Then, when they're wounded, they'll have a hard time rallying enough energy to send another one. Usually then they retreat because they're not good at hand to hand combat. A normal human can easily take one of them down. Actually, a normal human can take down a Shadow too, if he's not dematerializing. That's probably why both those demons tend to stay away from humans. Humans can be really determined buggers when they get going."  
  
"Look, I appreciate the demon lesson," Buffy said. "But don't you think we should be quiet, so we can hear if we're being followed."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Sure. Just wanted to be sure you knew all that."  
  
"I got it. So, let's be quiet now. For a dead guy, you're awfully talkative."  
  
"Was before I was dead too, actually. At least I liked words."  
  
"What were you again before you died?"  
  
Spike shifted his shoulders uneasily. "I was . . . bad. I had me a gang. And I, uh, liked to hear myself talk. And . . . uh, didn't you say you wanted us not to talk."  
  
Buffy nodded her head, not looking at him. Her attention was focused on the flashlight that she was shining ahead of them. After a while they came to the left turn that Spike had mentioned, but didn't come across another left for quite sometime. All the tunnels were on the right.  
  
"Are you sure it wasn't a left and then a right?" Buffy asked with a touch of irritation. The last thing she needed was to get lost down there.  
  
"No, no. It was definitely a left. But I expected to find it long before now. Maybe someone closed it off."  
  
"I didn't see any obvious patching."  
  
"Neither did I," Spike said. He wasn't carrying a flash light because he didn't need one. Vampires didn't need as much light to see by.  
  
Suddenly they heard the splashing of small feet behind them. Buffy and Spike instantly went into defense mode. They stood, shoulders touching on a slant to each other, her on the right and him on the left. This kept each of their preferred hands free and ready for combat.  
  
Buffy held her flashlight in her left hand, beaming toward the direction they'd heard the sound come from. In her right hand she held one of her throwing knives. Spike had a knife in each of his hands.  
  
The splashing continued toward them and a tiny tentative voice said, "Slayer?"  
  
"Who are you?" Buffy demanded.  
  
The furry figure of a Nazari demon stepped into the beam of the flashlight.  
  
"Oh, it's you," Buffy said, "Why are you following us? I told you we'd get back to you when . . ."  
  
"That's not who you think it is, Slayer," Spike broke in.  
  
Buffy looked more carefully at the little demon walking toward them. At first she'd assumed it was the same Nazari they'd been dealing with. But on closer inspection she realized that this one's coat was not as well kept and that his figure was much thinner.  
  
"I am called Swimmer," the Nazari said, folding his paws politely in front of him.  
  
"I'm Spike and this is the Slayer," Spike said, lowering his weapons.  
  
"Yes, I thought it must be you. I heard you were working with the Shadows. I thought you might be coming this way at some point. I've been watching for you. I was afraid you'd miss the turnoff."  
  
"Do you know where it is?" Buffy asked.  
  
"More or less."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"You can't tell it's there by seeing. You have to feel it by touching the wall. I think it's a long way back now."  
  
"You mean it's camouflaged?"  
  
"Yes," Swimmer said with a nod of his furry head. "Only recently. After the fire above I think."  
  
"Thank you very much for your help," Spike said.  
  
"You are welcome. If you need anything, my mate and I live along these tunnels."  
  
"We'll remember that."  
  
Swimmer gave them a quick bow and retreated out of the flashlight beam into one of the tunnels.  
  
"Very hospitable of them, really," Spike said, putting away his knives.  
  
"I thought he was that other Nazari we've been speaking too."  
  
"Not at all. That one's called Speaker. You can tell by how easily he talks. I'll bet he was chosen to contact us for just that reason. The Nazari are a very straight forward people. They name themselves after they reach a certain age. And before that they're called after either one or both of their parents. You know, like son of Speaker, daughter of Swimmer."  
  
"And what about the females? What are they like?"  
  
"They're actually bigger then the males. That way they can give birth to larger offspring. Size counts down here, Slayer. The Nazari are small because their prey is small. But tiny baby Nazari's wouldn't last very long in a place like this. His mate is probably just starting into her nesting period in preparation for the spring."  
  
Buffy let out a small laugh and stuck her knife back in its original place at her waist. "You're just a fountain of demon information, aren't you?"  
  
"Not really. I suspect Anya knows more about demons then I do. She's lived longer and all that. Now, are we gonna find this entrance or what?" Spike moved to the side of the tunnel and started running his hands along it.  
  
"How do you think it's been camouflaged?" Buffy asked, following along.  
  
"By magic I'm sure."  
  
"Do Fire demons do much in the way of magic?"  
  
"Not at all. That's what's so bleedin' funny about it. Most of the subterranean types don't do magic. Probably cos most of `em like to keep to themselves. And them like the Fire demons have their own way of protecting themselves. Ah! Here we are!" Spike stopped at one portion of the wall not far from where the original left turn had been. Buffy aimed her light on the area, but it looked like a solid wall . . . except that Spike's arm seemed to be growing out of it. "It looks like a simple optical illusion. I'll go through first because I can take things in more quickly then your flashlight can." Without waiting for an answer, Spike stepped through the seemingly solid wall and disappeared from Buffy's sight.  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"Not much," Spike answered. "It's just another tunnel. But we must be close to something. Otherwise they wouldn't bother to put a visual shield here."  
  
Instinctively, Buffy put her right hand back on her knife belt, readying herself for battle.  
  
Spike laughed. "I love it when you strike macho poses like that, Slayer."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can see you from this side of the illusion. Why don't you walk on through and let's see what's ahead."  
  
Buffy complied. "Pretty neat trick," she said looking back at the spot where she'd just been standing. "Like those mirrors they always have in police stations on television."  
  
"Except you can walk through it."  
  
They continued their way down the tunnel, not noticing the figure tucked into a corner not far from where they'd come in. It was a Fire demon named Ledic. He'd heard the strangers talking to the Nazari. And he realized that Buffy was the Slayer. The little Nazari had said he'd heard they were working with the Shadows? Helping them how? The tall blond man smelled like a vampire. That was strange. A vampire working with the Slayer?  
  
Ledic wondered if this were perhaps a good sign from the gods for his cause. Just when he was looking for an ally, this strange new kind of slayer shows up. Still, he couldn't be certain. He would have to observe them to be absolutely sure. It would be hard to follow them because vampires had very sharp hearing. Too much splashing and he would be discovered. Of course, vampires also had an excellent sense of smell. But in the midst of so many new scents this obvious above-ground dweller, who slicked his hair back so carefully, probably wasn't used to underground scents and wouldn't be able to pick out Ledic's as long as he stayed a good distance away.  
  
Buffy and Spike continued on through the tunnel, totally unaware they were being followed. They reached a spot where there was a metal ladder built into the wall, going upward.  
  
"Well, Slayer," Spike said. "You want to lead? Or should I go first since I don't need the flashlight to see where I'm going?"  
  
"Good point," she said, tucking the light into her coat pocket. Its glow spilled over the area above them, revealing a dripping ceiling covered with mold. "You lead."  
  
Spike climbed up the ladder and pushed open the trap door above it. There was a touch more light on this level. It was the basement of a building, but it was only partially underground. There were two small windows with frosted glass letting in the daylight from outside on either side of a stairwell. Spike wandered away from the trap door while Buffy climbed up and out. He stood perfectly still, listening for any sounds.  
  
"There doesn't seem to be much in the way of fire damage in this building," Buffy whispered.  
  
Spike's answer was a shake of the head. He was still listening. They were in a corridor of some kind and he wondered if the rooms behind the doors further down were empty or not. He couldn't hear anything, but he thought he smelled some sort of living thing, buried under the scent of charred building.  
  
Buffy decided they should take the stairwell up to the next floor. "Spike," she whispered, waving for him to follow.  
  
This next floor up from the basement was at ground level and it was very wide open. It looked like a one-floor warehouse with an exceptionally high ceiling. There were some signs of fire damage, but not much. And there were a lot of windows, letting in more of the noonday sun then Spike cared for. He had to keep mostly to the center of the room so as to stay out of the sun's strong rays.  
  
"Well," Buffy said, "there doesn't appear to be anyone here.  
  
"Keep your voice down, Slayer," Spike commanded with a wave. "We're not likely to meet any Fire demons on this floor. It's such a bright place. But there could be some downstairs. Something smelled funny down there."  
  
"Funny?"  
  
"Yeah. It could just be something that burned. I don't know. But I'd like to keep as quiet as possible. Just whisper. In case of trouble you can always run through that pair of doors there. But I have to go back the way we came. It's too sunny around here for me." He pointed to the bent double doors that looked to be the main entrance. They were chained shut. But neither the chains nor the doors appeared all that sturdy.  
  
It was at this point that Ledic the Fire demon crept up the stairwell to the main floor. Buffy and Spike were too busy talking to notice him. He was able to slip his lean form behind the door leading downstairs so as to remain unseen.  
  
"Look up there." Buffy pointed to the high ceiling. "It looks like most of the lighting fixtures were burned out by these powerful blow torches. See how there are all these lines crisscrossing on the ceiling. I wish we had Xander here. He could tell us if those lights were killed by a manmade invention or not."  
  
"It could have been that new power the Shadows said the Fire demons have. If they can put out jets of fire, they could have stood down here and shot up."  
  
"I really am tempted to break through those doors and see what's outside."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Most of the buildings that Anya and I saw on this block were in a lot worse shape then this. We probably just didn't notice this place because it was so much shorter then all the others. I'm wondering what the address is. I'd like to be able to come back here above ground again in the day time. And I'd like to ask Willow and the Shadows if there's anything particularly unusual about this building. That optical illusion in the tunnels blocking off the entrance to the tunnel here is very suspicious. If somebody's behind these Fire demons, making them stronger, we need to know as much as possible in order to fight them."  
  
"Yes. That's laudable. But do we have to make a lot of noise?"  
  
"Oh, come on. Don't be a chicken. You're supposed to be the Big Bad!" Buffy put on a husky voice and shifted her shoulders like he did when he walked.  
  
Spike gave her a dirty look. "Yeah. I stand in the sun long enough, I end up as the Big Bad pile of dust."  
  
"Look. Let's see if we can find anything that you could use to cover yourself in case of trouble. Then we can smash down the door." Without waiting for an answer, Buffy started walking the perimeter of the floor. In one of the far corners she found a pile of old furniture blankets. "Hey! What about these? These are pretty heavy." She sniffed one cautiously. "They smell a little funky. But being in a fire will do that to you I guess."  
  
"They're heavier then my usual blanket. All right," Spike said, hoisting up a couple. "Let's break out. It might be better to take a look at the topside while we`re here anyway." Spike tossed the blankets near the door and took his place at Buffy's side.  
  
Ledic, still behind the door to the stairwell, knew well that what they were about to do would bring a small army of Fire demons rushing up from the basement. They were sleeping in rooms at the opposite end of the corridor from the trap door to the tunnels. It occurred to him that the tunnel entrance was still open. He thought he would go there and pretend to come up from the tunnels when the confusion started. Then his people would never know that the strange slayer and her minion knew about that entrance. Quietly, he slipped back downstairs.  
  
"All right," Buffy commanded. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three." And they charged. The first run was more to test the strength of the doors then anything else. It felt as if the door hinges would give way pretty easily. Buffy and Spike exchanged glances. "Again!" she shouted. And they charged. "Again!" she shouted. And the doors came tumbling down, with the chain still intact between them. Buffy stepped out while Spike remained inside on watch. There was a large parking lot outside, probably meant for unloading trucks. On either side of the building was a taller burnt out structure. In big black letters next to the door was the address. It read, "666 Lindemann." Buffy's eyebrows rose up.  
  
"Slayer," Spike said from inside. "It sounds like we've got company." He bent to pick up the furniture blankets and started to throw them around himself.  
  
Buffy stepped back inside in time to get her first real look at a Fire demon. Six very angry looking ones pushed their way into the main room of the warehouse. They were tall and thin like the Shadows, with scaly skin that was tiled in various patterns of orange and gray. They had thin reptilian tongues that snapped out occasionally, testing the air. Their feet and hands had small white claws.  
  
The first demon to see them, touched his hands to his chest and threw them outward.  
  
"Look out!" Spike yelled. He thought the Fire demon was going to shoot out a fireball. But this wasn't quite true. Fire did indeed spring from the demon's hands, but not in the shape of a ball. It was a solid jet of flame that flew out across the room, striking the wall just to the right of Spike. "Run!" Spike yelled, burrowing under his blankets and heading out into the sunlit parking lot.  
  
Buffy didn't need to worry about going up in flames quit as easily as Spike. She paused for a moment to watch the way the demon's jet of fire pummeled its way into the wall. But when two other Fire demons shot out flames as well, she decided it was better to run.  
  
The demons couldn't follow Buffy and Spike out into the sunny parking lot because their skins were not made for the sun.  
  
"Who were they?" one Fire demon asked.  
  
"Thieves," a second answered with confidence. "They pulled down the outside doors to get in. But we scared them away."  
  
"I was in the tunnels," Ledic said coming up behind them.  
  
"Ledic!" the first demon said. "You missed the excitement. We just scared away two human thieves."  
  
"Sounds like fun," Ledic said. "I'm sorry I missed it. I was down in the tunnels hunting for a snack."  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
"I had some luck," Ledic said with a flick of his tongue. "Since the Shadows and most of the Nazari are gone, the hunting is better."  
  
"Good, good. Well, the excitement's over. Let's get back to sleep. We can fix those doors after dark."  
  
"Yes," Ledic agreed. And he followed his fellow demons downstairs to their rooms off the corridor. 


	43. Chapter Forty-Three - Date Night

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE  
  
Date Night  
  
Spike and Buffy met the Scoobies back at the Magic Box sometime later that afternoon. Spike still had the furniture blankets with him but Anya made him leave them out in the alley.  
  
"You're not keeping those smelly things in here!" Anya insisted. "They'll drive the customers away." It was a busy day for her and she wasn't in the mood to be patient. They had a fair amount of customers. So, she had to scoot back and forth between the cash register and the Scoobie meeting in the training room.  
  
Everyone sat along the wall except for Buffy. She stood in front of them, feeling a bit like a general instructing her troops. In essence that's what she was. "The wall illusion was definitely magical," she said, directing herself to Tara and Willow. "Spike thinks it might be a simple spell. But the fact that it was only visible from one side made it seem more complicated to me."  
  
"Not really," Tara said. "It could be simple. It's hard to know without seeing it."  
  
"Well, believe me," Buffy said, "you don't wanna see it. It's seriously yucky down there."  
  
"What did I miss?" Anya said, running in looking harried. The blond hairstyle she had so carefully put together that morning had fallen out completely. And the stylish shoes she had on were making her limp.  
  
"Buffy was up to recap mostly," Xander answered. "She was saying there was this optical illusion of a wall leading up to the turnoff where they found the Fire demons."  
  
"Really? A magical illusion?" Anya asked  
  
"Had to be," Tara said.  
  
"Fire demons don't go in for magic," Anya said. "Did you get to see any actual Fire demons?"  
  
"A small swarm," Buffy answered. "And they shot out jets of fire."  
  
"Jets?" Anya asked, confusion furrowing her brow. "Jet's of fire?"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"Are you sure they were Fire demons?"  
  
"Absolutely," Spike said. "Orange and gray scales, lizard tongues, and small white claws."  
  
"Then something must have changed them somehow," Anya said.  
  
"Magic you think?"  
  
Anya breathed in heavily as she considered this. "Could be. Someone could be upping their ability to shoot out fire, like the Shadows said."  
  
"But who?" Buffy said.  
  
"It sounds like we have to start watching this building," Willow said. "I mean, to see who goes in and out."  
  
"Most evil is afoot at night," Anya said. "So maybe we should take turns spying on the place then."  
  
"All right," Buffy said, "Starting tomorrow. Spike and I will take the first watch."  
  
"Xander and I can do Monday night," Anya offered.  
  
"I really don't think Tara should do anything dangerous for a while," Willow said. "And I think I should stay with her to keep an eye on her."  
  
"I'm not a china doll," Tara said. "I'm fine. You don't need to be so overprotective."  
  
"No," Buffy agreed. "She's right. You two keep an eye on Dawn for me. Then the following week if you're feeling OK, you can go back into the fray."  
  
Willow nodded in agreement.  
  
"Really, guys," Tara said," I'm all right."  
  
"We're just making sure," Buffy said. "The rest of us will change off nights."  
  
At the point, Anya saw a customer moving toward the cash register through the open door of the training room. She started running immediately. "Gotta go," she called behind her.  
  
"I better get out there and be supportive," Xander said, rising to his feet.  
  
"Yeah, and we've gotta be getting home," Willow said. "I'm taking Tara out to an early dinner tonight. Sort of a welcome home thing."  
  
"OK," Buffy said. "Dawn's gonna be out too. It's her first official date with Zachary tonight. But she promised to be home early."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." Willow's eyes lit up at the thought. "If you guys have to go on patrol, we can see them off. And we'll be home early too. Tara shouldn't stay out too late either." Willow reached out to help Tara up from the bench.  
  
"I'm not an old lady!" Tara said, slapping her lover's hands away. She tidied her skirt and headed for the front door of the shop.  
  
"Tara! Wait up," Willow said, rushing after her. "I was just trying to be helpful."  
  
"So," Spike said, advancing on Buffy, lust in his eyes. "That just leaves you and me alone in the house."  
  
Buffy pushed him against the wall. "It has possibilities," she agreed in a low voice. "But . . . you have to take a shower first. Those blankets made you stink to high heaven. And, we have to go on at least a quick patrol first." She turned and walked away. "Bring the blankets. Those'll get the demons running. Phew!"  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Dawn was just about ready for her date when Tara and Willow got home. She'd dressed carefully and was nervously waiting for the doorbell to ring.  
  
"Did you have any dinner?" Tara asked falling back into the motherly role she'd held with Dawn before she'd left.  
  
"No," Dawn said, shaking her hands out to get rid of excess energy.  
  
"You should have something. Some soup or yogurt or . . ."  
  
"No, no, no. I'm too nervous," Dawn said, jumping up and down. "I'd just throw it up."  
  
"Oooh," Willow said, coming up behind Dawn and hugging her. "Our little Dawnie is going on her first real date."  
  
"Would you just quit that?" Dawn said. "I'm nervous enough already."  
  
"It's just such a big day!"  
  
Dawn let out a frightened little whimper.  
  
"There, there," Willow said, rubbing her back. "It's gonna be all right. The first date is always the toughest. But at least you guys have already become study buddies. So you should have plenty to talk about."  
  
"Yeah. But that was different. This is more . . . official."  
  
"Official or not, it's gonna be wonderful." Willow said.  
  
"Where are you two going?" Tara asked.  
  
"To a movie. And maybe for a snack afterwards. Buffy wants me in early."  
  
"Sounds nice," Tara said with a loving smile.  
  
Before they knew it, the doorbell was ringing and Zachary was standing there looking every bit as nervous as Dawn. Willow escorted him in momentarily until Dawn came out, tripping on her own feet just as she passed through the livingroom. Willow wasn't sure which of the young people was more embarrassed at this act of clumsiness, Dawn or Zachary.  
  
"Are you all right," Zachary asked. He looked like he wasn't sure if he should ignore this little flub or if he should run to her to support her.  
  
"I'm fine," Dawn said, wishing she could somehow fade under the rug.  
  
"Well, you kids have a good time," Willow said, changing the subject.  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said.  
  
Zachary politely opened the door for Dawn and they finally started on their way.  
  
"Oh, they're just so cute!" Willow said, after the door had closed behind them. She hugged Tara and petted the hair out of her face with a romantic sigh. "Were we ever that young?"  
  
"Yeah, we were," Tara said. "Only for us, boys were just a phase."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
By the time Buffy and Spike got home, the house was empty. It hadn't been a very fruitful patrol. Nary a demon crossed their path that night. Buffy claimed they were all scared off by the smell of the warehouse blankets.  
  
"I'm gonna put these in the wash," Buffy said, reluctantly taking the blankets. "I'll be sure to add extra soap and lots of perfumed water softener. You jump into the shower. I can't stand to be around you anymore."  
  
"Thanks a load, Luv," Spike said to Buffy's back as she headed for the basement. He wasn't much in the mood for a shower just then, at least not alone. He'd been hoping to lure Buffy in with him. But it seemed she was more intent on laundry. There was nothing to do but follow instructions and hope that he could interest her in something afterwards.  
  
He went to Buffy's room and hung his duster up on the back of the door. Then he stripped off his clothes and headed for the bathroom. The hot shower felt good against Spike's tight muscles. And he used Buffy's favorite scented soap to at least pretend that she was in there with him. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to pretend long. He'd been showering about five minutes when the door to the bathroom opened and Buffy came in, undressed for the occasion.  
  
"I forgot that I can't run the washer till after you finish your shower. Doing both at the same time will empty the hot water tank." She pulled back the shower curtain and peeked in. "Mmm," she said, looking him over. "You don't mind if I join you in there. For the sake of conserving hot water, of course." And she slipped into the shower and into his arms.  
  
There was some washing, lots of kissing and petting, but nothing serious. The little bathtub was just too difficult to maneuver in. So, after a short toweling session, they adjourned to her bedroom and made love, slowly and leisurely.  
  
"I wish they'd all go out more often," Buffy remarked contentedly as she fell across Spike's chest.  
  
"Mmm," was all Spike could answer. He was already asleep. But he was the first one to wake up later. At nine-thirty, he sat up as if an alarm clock had gone off and roused Buffy. "Come on, Slayer," he urged. "Time to get up. The Niblet will be home from her date soon. Gotta go downstairs and sit in front of the television, like an old married couple." He pulled on his jeans and started routing around for a fresh tee shirt. Buffy had given him a drawer in her bureau and a tiny corner in the closet.  
  
"Don't wanna get up," Buffy said sleepily.  
  
"Have to. It's your job to look all parental when she comes in. Come on now, Slayer. Here." He threw her the clothes she'd been wearing earlier. Besides, you still have to wash those blankets."  
  
"Oh, all right," she said in a cranky voice. "If I must, I must."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
With all the trailers they'd thrown in at the front of the movie, Dawn and Zachary ended up getting out later then they thought they would.  
  
"You want to go have a snack?" Zachary asked as they walked out onto the street.  
  
"I can't," Dawn answered. "I'd like to. But my sister wants me home by ten. I think she's going to be strict about things till my grades pick up again."  
  
They came to a stop at the corner. Zachary had his hands in his pockets as usual. "I understand," he said. "I don't want to get you in trouble."  
  
"Besides, we've still got plenty of popcorn from the movie." Dawn gestured at him with the half-filled tub of popcorn in her arms. "You want some more?"  
  
"No. You can take it."  
  
"I don't want it," Dawn said, with more feeling then she'd intended. She'd been hoping that Zachary would put his arm around her during the movie, or at least hold hands. But the ridiculous tub of popcorn had gotten in the way. Next time she was going to say no to refreshments. That is, if there was a next time. She was wondering if the fact that he hadn't even held her hand yet meant that he'd decided that he wasn't interested.  
  
"Then, let's just dump it," Zachary said. He took the tub and deposited it in the nearest garbage basket. Then he thought for a moment. ". . . You're going to get better grades this semester, I'm sure of it. We'll go over those geometry theorems again next week. And work on that composition we're supposed to do for English."  
  
"You wanna study together again next week?" The light of hope sparkled in Dawn's eyes.  
  
"Yeah. Wherever you like. At your house or over at that magic shop. Wherever."  
  
"OK," Dawn said with a shy smile.  
  
Zachary returned her smile and took her hand as they walked back to her house.  
  
Dawn didn't hear much of what he said after that. It was all about school. And that was something that she didn't care much about at the best of times. She was totally lost in the electric feel of Zachary's hand in hers.  
  
"So, I'll see you next week," Zachary said as they finally came to a stop just in front of Buffy's porch.  
  
"Yeah," Dawn agreed.  
  
Zachary leaned in and kissed her, a sweet gentle kiss, from a sweet gentle boy. As he pulled away, he left his hand on her face and softly ran his fingers over her cheek. "See you on Monday," he said.  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said.  
  
"Good night," he said as he walked away.  
  
"Night." Dawn watched him disappear down the street for a moment. Then she went dashing up the porch stairs and into the house, slamming the door behind her. "I'm in love!" she yelled flinging out her arms.  
  
"What?" Buffy jumped up from the couch where she and Spike had been sitting watching television.  
  
Dawn threw her arms around her sister for moment. Then she continued dancing around the room. "I'm in love! He's wonderful! I'm meeting him next week for studying again. Isn't it wonderful?"  
  
Buffy looked perplexed. But Spike smiled.  
  
"How can you be in love," Buffy wanted to know. "You've only just met him."  
  
"I don't know, but I am!" Dawn screeched. "Aaah! I'm so happy!!!"  
  
"I don't think you should be talking about love yet," Buffy continued on in a disapproving voice.  
  
"Yes," Spike said wryly. "Being in love is something your sister takes very seriously. She won't even admit to loving me."  
  
"You keep out of this," Buffy said. Then she turned back to her sister. Her attitude was that of a lecturing parent, complete with wagging finger. "Now, Dawn. Love is something that takes time and . . ."  
  
"I don't care what you say!" Dawn said, hopping halfway up the steps in the hallway. "I'm in love and I'm happy. And you're not gonna bring me down. I'm just too happy!" And she danced and sang the rest of the way to her room, so her sister couldn't interrupt her happy thoughts anymore.  
  
"What's happening to her?" Buffy said, staring after Dawn as if she were a stranger.  
  
"She's growing up," Spike said simply. "It had to happen sooner or later, Slayer."  
  
"I don't like it."  
  
"Well, you'll just have to get used to it, because it's happening whether you like it or not."  
  
Buffy stuck out her lower lip in a pout and plopped down on the couch next to him. "Don't like it."  
  
"You'll get used to it," Spike said, pulling her against him. "You'll see." 


	44. Chapter Forty-Four - Stake-out

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR  
  
Stake-out  
  
The next night, while most of Sunnydale was resting up in order to face the next day's responsibilities, the Slayer and her vampire squire were sitting in their friend Xander's borrowed car, keeping watch over the building at 666 Lindemann. It was getting late, but nothing was happening. No sign of Fire demons or anyone else coming or going.  
  
Stretched across each of their laps was a cross bow. After seeing the fire jets of the Fire demons, it was obvious that throwing knives were just not going to work. They talked about guns again, but neither was really expert at using them and Buffy was still hesitant. Spike understood but he cautioned her that since reloading a cross bow would take time they'd have to be more careful about putting themselves in danger.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Buffy said. "What's the good of being immortal if you can't be a little daring?"  
  
"Because," Spike pointed out, "almost all creatures, demon or not . . . immortal or not, can be killed by fire. It's one of the great equalizers."  
  
Grudgingly Buffy said, "OK." But it was clear she didn't like it.  
  
For the first time Spike found himself wishing that Giles was there. He was afraid that knowing she was immortal would make Buffy careless. Giles would have been able to make her see, better than anyone else, that immortal meant you could live forever, just as long as you didn't get killed. It didn't mean you were indestructible. He was going to have to keep a close eye on his slayer.  
  
As they sat on their stake-out, Buffy was mostly quiet. All her attention was on the warehouse, her muscles taught and ready for action. Spike couldn't help but sit and admire her. "I like it when you look like that," he said at last with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hmm? Look like what?" she said, not bothering to turn around.  
  
"The hunter, all concentrated on the hunt."  
  
"Would you stop. I'm not a hunter."  
  
"Then what do you call it? You're sitting here watching for your prey with a crossbow on your lap. I'd call that looking like a hunter."  
  
"We're looking for clues. We're not hunting."  
  
"Whatever you say." But he knew better.  
  
At about two o'clock in the morning, Buffy was getting ready to call it a night. Suddenly she noticed a flash of light in a window much further down the avenue. It was one of the few buildings still standing. "Did you see that?" she asked, pointing with her chin.  
  
As Spike looked there was another flash of light. And another. And another, all on different floors.  
  
"The building's under attack," Buffy said. "Let's go!"  
  
The two of them tore out of the car and ran down the block. The doors on this building were a lot more formable than they had been on the warehouse. But between the two of them they were still able to knock them down. Somewhere an alarm was sounding and there was a rush of Shadow demons dematerializing from the ceiling, the walls, and floors. They were coming and going in every direction, obviously on the run.  
  
Spike grabbed one of them by the arm. "What's happening?"  
  
The frightened Shadow moved his round mouth but came out with only one word, "Fire."  
  
Spike let him go and he evaporated through the floor. "I think the Fire demons are cleaning house," Spike said to Buffy.  
  
Almost on cue, two Fire demons rounded a corner, chasing several Shadows. They stopped, touched their chests in preparation and shot out fire jets from their hands. One of the Shadows was hit. He tried to dematerialize but the fire jet was too strong for him. With a long moaning cry of agony, he disintegrated into nothing. Buffy took aim at the Fire demon that had killed the Shadow with her crossbow. When the arrow hit its target, the demon cried out in pain and stopped shooting out fire. Spike took aim at the other demon and shot also. The second Fire demon also immediately stopped sending out fire. This gave the Shadows they'd been pursuing a chance to dematerialize through the outside wall of the building into the street. The two injured Fire demons retreated toward the downstairs.  
  
The smoke was really starting to fill the air by then. And the alarm that had been ringing had stopped because all the electric in the building had been disconnected by the fire. "Let's go upstairs," Buffy said, intending to stop the fire.  
  
"No!" Spike said. "If there's this much smoke down here, the building is doomed. It's old, it'll come down fast. The best we can do is try and cover the Shadows who run out of the building in this direction."  
  
Buffy made a face and shook her head no. She wanted to at least try and save the building. Ignoring Spike's warning, she started toward one of the nearby stairwells. There were two of them next to a bank of elevators, one leading to the upper floors and a second right next to it, leading to the lower depths of the building.  
  
"No!" Spike said, pushing in front of her. "It's too dangerous. The Fire demons can't go through walls like the Shadows. They're probably all on their way down here now, coming by that stairwell. We can't shoot all of them.  
  
"We can't just let them take down the building."  
  
"It's too late!"  
  
Buffy pushed him out of the way and Spike grabbed her back. She pushed again and this time knocked him to the floor. Before he could get to his feet, she had run to the stairwell and started up . . . right into the path of a several Fire demons. One of them immediately stopped and raised his hands to his chest. Buffy shot her crossbow, but her aim was off in the dim light of the stairway. She hit one of the Fire demons behind the leader. When light sprang from the demon's claws, Buffy tried to leap to her left out of the way. But a searing pain on her hip told her she hadn't escaped completely. The jet of fire continued past Buffy and hit to the right of the stairwell door, which opened in. The Fire demon tried to readjust, but it was a struggle. The jet of flame seemed to have a mind of its own. This gave Spike a chance to send an arrow in at him, catching the demon squarely in the center of his body. As the demon cried in pain, his fire jet went out and Spike dragged Buffy  
out of the stairwell, dumping her unceremoniously just outside the stairwell. He closed the door and jammed his cross bow into its handle so that the demons couldn't open it. They tried of course, but their physical strength was diminished because of all the fire they'd been shooting out. They pounded and cursed on the other side of the door and finally started to blast it with fire. Spike could feel the door warm up. But because it was a fire door, it was going to take a long time for it to burn down.  
  
"Are you all right?" Spike asked.  
  
"My hip," was all Buffy could say.  
  
From one of the upper floors they heard a cry of agony.  
  
"The Shadows?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. They moan. That was a Fire demon. Even they can be killed by fire."  
  
Buffy breathed heavily as yet another cry of pain rang out. She saw that there were no more Shadows appearing and disappearing. "Let them out," she said.  
  
Spike hesitated for beat, taking in the woman he loved. His instincts were still dominated by the fight. If it had been up to him, he would have left them there. But Buffy was able to separate herself from the hunt and feel empathy for her prey. It was one of those times when he realized how much more of a hero she was than him. He didn't question her judgment this time. "Go and hide back there," he said, pointing to a desk on the other side of the bank of elevators. Outside in the street, he could hear the approach of fire engines. There wasn't much time. He waited till Buffy had limped out of the way. Then he pulled his crossbow from the door.  
  
The door was too hot for a vampire or an immortal slayer to touch, but since Fire demons can touch fire with their hands, it was no problem for them to pull open the door. The fire and smoke on the upper floors was so thick by then that the demons had no thought of anything but escape. They ignored Spike as he ran off toward the back of the building and then paused, ready to offer himself as a decoy away from Buffy. The Fire demons came charging out of the upstairs stairwell and ran on without glancing in his direction. Some of them headed for the open front doors of the building, others ran down the second stairwell toward the basement areas and the underground tunnels.  
  
Ledic was near the back of the group, helping along one of this fellow demons who'd been injured by falling debris from one of the upper floor ceilings. He was the only Fire demon to notice Spike standing near the back. He recognized his platinum hair and long coat. Ledic had no doubt that the slayer was somewhere nearby as well. They had obviously helped the Shadows escape but had not exterminated his people. He found that interesting. But there was no time to think further on it right then. He had to get his injured comrade to the cool tunnels below.  
  
As soon as the Fire demons were gone, Spike returned to Buffy and helped her out the front door. The fire trucks were almost upon them by then. As soon as he had Buffy in Xander's car, Spike screeched out into the street and started them back uptown. He didn't say anything. He was still lost in appreciative amazement at Buffy's sympathetic actions toward the Fire demons. She had depths of kindness that he thought he never could have.  
  
Buffy however, had no trouble finding her tongue. "You shouldn't have stopped me," she complained.  
  
"Stopped you?" he asked. For a moment he honestly didn't know what she was talking about.  
  
"You shouldn't have held me back."  
  
"Oh," Spike said, remembering. He should have known that would brass her off. "What you wanted to do made no bloody sense. The building was coming down and so were all the Fire demons."  
  
"If I'd gotten up there sooner . . ."  
  
"You just would've gotten caught at the top of the stairwell instead of the bottom. And then I couldn't have pulled you out. At least this way you only got injured and not killed. But if you don't mind, I would have preferred to have neither happen. How's your hip?"  
  
"It hurts . . . a lot. But you shouldn't have stopped me."  
  
"Buffy, I am not gonna automatically do what you tell me to like Will or Harris. If I think you're doing something stupid, I'll tell you about it."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm getting tired of it."  
  
"You let Giles tell you when something wouldn't work."  
  
"But you're not Giles."  
  
"No. But I'm a hundred and twenty year old vampire who has some experience in these things. And you're just mad because you know you were wrong and you hate it when you're wrong."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous."  
  
"Get used to it, Buffy. Sometimes you make the wrong call. And I'm not gonna knuckle under to you like your little Scoobie friends. I follow your lead, but I'm not gonna do it blindly. I wouldn't be any use to you if I did that."  
  
Buffy didn't say anything else for the rest of the trip. Her hip was aching too much and she just wanted to strike out in anger at Spike. As soon as the car came to a stop she pushed out of it and limped toward the house on her own, clearly wanting to put as much distance between them as she could. She got to the door first, but she couldn't get it open before he was there behind her. "Maybe you shouldn't stay here tonight," she said with her back to him."  
  
He sighed deeply with exasperation. "Buffy, Luv, you're blowing this way out of proportion."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Look. We're a couple now . . ."  
  
"No we're not."  
  
"Yes, we are. You wanna argue about it here under your sister's window?"  
  
Buffy didn't answer. But she pursed her lips awfully tight.  
  
"You can't go off your bird and just order me off. That's not how it works. Maybe last year, but not anymore."  
  
Buffy's eyes filled with tears, not at his words but at the pain in her hip. It felt as if it was still on fire. It felt much worse than the knife wound she'd received from Eric the Ugly's henchman.  
  
Spike saw her pain. "Let's get you inside," he said more gently. "I'll see to your hip.  
  
This time she didn't give him a fight. He unlocked the door and helped her upstairs. In the strong lights of the bathroom he helped her remove the charred remains of her pants so he could tend her wound. She held onto the towel rack for courage as he cleaned it and applied a heavy bandage. "It's pretty bad," he said. "The skin is charred black and cracking in some places."  
  
Buffy could only answer with tears. It hurt so much. She wanted to cry out as Spike cleaned it with cold water. But she didn't want Dawn to hear, to know that once again she'd gotten hurt. "Dawn will be furious," Buffy whimpered.  
  
"Yeah, well. She doesn't want you to get hurt either." Spike closed up their first aid drawer. Most family bathrooms have a corner shelf with a few first aid items, but the Summers home needed a good sized drawer dedicated to this function. In addition to the usual, Tara and Willow had added a bevy of wiccan salves. "I don't know which of these salves is good for burns. I'll ask Willow in the morning. Or, I can go knock on their door right now if you want me to."  
  
"No."  
  
"OK. But if you can't sleep . . ."  
  
"No," she repeated again, more sharply this time. "And I don't want Dawn to know. She'll think I did it on purpose."  
  
"Let's get you to bed. Here, at least take some aspirins."  
  
Buffy took the aspirins and then hobbled to bed. But sleep wouldn't come. She was in too much pain. She curled up far away on her side of the bed. But Spike put his arm over her shoulders to comfort her. Buffy grasped his hand and held onto it tightly. For a moment he considered waking up Willow to ask about the salves, but he knew it would only make Buffy angry again. It was a full two hours before the pain dulled and her hand slipped out of his.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
It was four o'clock in the morning and Jonathan's phone was still ringing and ringing and ringing. Once again he'd disconnected his answering machine to avoid Warren. And once again Warren was undeterred. Jonathan knew he was calling him via the squawk box on his telephone. That way he could work at his desk while the phone kept ringing.  
  
On Friday morning when Jonathan had gone out supposedly to pick something up for breakfast, he hadn't gone back to Warren's basement. Warren must not have noticed because he hadn't started calling him till early Sunday morning. Now, almost a day later, the phone was still ringing.  
  
Jonathan looked at the phone. He should have pulled the thing out of the wall, disconnected it completely. But somehow he couldn't. It was like he had started this thing and now he just couldn't stop. It was dragging him on, seemingly against his will. Was he also crazy now? Was Warren's insanity catching?  
  
Without knowing why, he finally picked up the receiver. "Hello," he said tentatively.  
  
"Jonathan?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It's Warren."  
  
Like who else could it be? "What do you want?"  
  
"Where have you been? I've been calling and calling."  
  
"Oh . . . I've just been out."  
  
"Well, clear your calendar, cos we're almost ready to roll. I've figured out what the chip does. It's really clever. I wonder who put it in, if it was the Slayer or someone else."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"It keeps Spike from attacking humans. Andrew and I ran all these diagnostics and stuff. That has to be it. It sends out a pain signal if he does anything to a human. The device has a limited function. But I think Andrew and I can rig up a remote control for the pain signal. It should be ready by Tuesday."  
  
"That soon?"  
  
"Yeah, well, Andrew and I don't sleep or eat much anymore. That's for wimps. Be here at my place Tuesday morning. And we'll begin our Spike hunt."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Absolutely! I want my diamond back. I won't be sane till I have it."  
  
"OK," Jonathan said. But he doubted very much if Warren's sanity would ever return. 


	45. Chapter Forty-Five - Men and Women and H...

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE  
  
Men and Women and Healing  
  
The next morning, Spike got up as soon as he heard noises in the hallway. Buffy was still sleeping soundly. He didn't want to disturb her because she'd had such a hard night. Quietly, he dressed and headed downstairs.  
  
Tara was up making breakfast, scrambled eggs and cinnamon raisin toast.  
  
"Mmm," Spike said, sniffing at the air as he came into the kitchen. "Everybody eats better when you're here."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's not as if Willow and Buffy are into cooking. Neither am I really. But my mother taught me well enough."  
  
Spike took a packet of blood out of his supply in the brown paper sack in the back corner of the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave as she cooked.  
  
"What time did you two get in last night?" Tara asked.  
  
"Very late. We tried to stop a small army of Fire demons from burning down a building. But we failed. Buffy got burned in the process."  
  
Tara stopped what she was doing, a look of concern on her face. "Is she all right?"  
  
"Yes. But she's in a lot of pain."  
  
"Willow has several salves that might help. I'll ask her when she comes down."  
  
"I think Buffy would prefer if we kept this from Dawn, it coming so soon on top of the knife injury. She doesn't want to worry her."  
  
"Of course, as long as it's not an obvious injury."  
  
"Not really. But I'm glad Xander and Anya are taking tonight's stake-out. I'd like to try to get Buffy to take it easy tonight."  
  
At that point, Willow came bounding into the kitchen. "Breakfast smells wonderful!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Tara. What would we do without you?"  
  
"Starve probably," Tara answered. "Sit down and eat before it gets cold. Is Dawn coming?"  
  
"Eventually. I looked in her room and she's working very hard on choosing just the right outfit to impress Zachary. They are just so cute!"  
  
"Dawn says she thinks she's in love," Tara noted.  
  
"Puppy love," Willow said with a smirk. "That's why it's so cute. First love! I'm just so happy for her."  
  
"Good morning, All," Xander said, coming into the kitchen. "Mmm. That smells good. You, uh, don't think you could spare a little food for a workin' man, do you?"  
  
"Sure," Tara said. "Pull up a chair. I knew you were coming to pick up the car this morning."  
  
"Many many thanks to you kind lady," Xander said, plopping down and tucking a napkin into his shirt.  
  
"Is Buffy coming down to breakfast?" Tara asked.  
  
"I hope not," Spike answered. "She didn't sleep much last night."  
  
"Then I'll leave a dish for her. You can heat it up later."  
  
"How was your stake-out last night?" Xander asked, diving into the eggs Tara put in front of him.  
  
Spike stood against the sink sipping at his mug of blood. "Buffy would probably rather tell you herself. But we ran into these Fire demons while they were torching a building and evacuating the resident Shadows. I'd like to ask Anya a few demon type questions today, about some things I noticed last night."  
  
"She'll be at the Magic Box as usual. I'm supposed to meet her there late this afternoon, maybe you guys could fill us in on last night then."  
  
"Yeah, that'll work. Buffy should be up by then."  
  
"I'm going now," Dawn called in from the livingroom.  
  
"What about your breakfast?" Tara called back.  
  
"Don't have time. I'm meeting Janice."  
  
"You want a ride?" Xander asked.  
  
"No. We'll be fine. Bye everybody!" And Dawn was gone, moving in the quick rhythm of youth.  
  
"Do you believe that girl? I made this mostly for her," Tara said.  
  
"Aw, poor little mama," Willow cooed. "It's hard raising teenagers."  
  
"Tell me about it." Tara started washing the breakfast things.  
  
"Did you have breakfast, Sweetie," Willow asked her lover.  
  
"I picked while I cooked. Oh . . . Spike asked if you have some salve that's good for burns."  
  
"For healing and pain," Spike said.  
  
"For you or Buffy?" Xander asked.  
  
"For Buffy. The Fire demons caught her on the hip. She didn't want me to disturb you about it last night. But I figure when she wakes up . . ."  
  
"Sure, no problem. I'll get it right now." Willow jumped from her chair and headed upstairs, leaving her dirty plate for Tara to clean.  
  
"I swear," Tara said, glaring, "she's as bad as Dawn sometimes. Maybe worse." She walked to Xander and looked pointedly down at his plate. "Can I depend on you to take care of that?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" Xander said with a salute. "Will do!"  
  
"Good. I've got to get ready for school." Tara quickly cleaned up Willow's plate. "I'll make sure Willow leaves the salve out in the bathroom," she said as she too headed upstairs.  
  
"So," Xander said, "did you and Buffy have a fight?"  
  
"Is it that obvious?" Spike asked draining the last of his blood.  
  
"To an old almost-married-man? Yes. What gave it away was when you said that Buffy would rather tell us about last night herself. You had this look on your face that said you'd get in trouble if you said too much without her permission. Believe me, I've been there."  
  
"We're still just sussing out our work relationship is all. She doesn't like it much when I don't agree with her on something. Last night I had the nasty luck of being right."  
  
"Oooh, that's pretty unforgivable. Hope you didn't say I told you so."  
  
"Well . . ." Spike grimaced sheepishly. "Maybe just a little. But I don't want her thinking that being immortal means she can't die. I'm all for running into battle, but I don't wanna be stupid about it. If old Rupert had been here last night, he would've given her hell over what she did. But she's not up to taking it from me yet. And I can't stand by silent."  
  
"I hear ya. She gave Angel and Riley a hard time in that way too. Giles is the only one she'd ever take input from."  
  
"Yeah, but he's not here. Bloody wish he was."  
  
"She always treated Angel more like an associate than a partner when it came to work. Called him in special when she thought he was needed. She did the same thing with Riley. He hardly had any idea what was going on with us. And it really ticked him. You've pushed her farther than either of them. Gotta hand it to ya, you got stamina." Xander nodded his head appreciatively.  
  
"Yeah," Spike said wryly. "The girl's a full time job."  
  
"All women are, Pal," Xander said. He got up and went to the sink with his plate to wash it as per his promise to Tara.  
  
"I'll get it, Mate," Spike said. "I got time till Buffy wakes up."  
  
"Gee, thanks," Xander said. "I'll see you tonight. Just remember, pick your fights. You'll live longer."  
  
"Yeah, well," Spike said to himself, "it's too late for that.  
  
Tara stuck her head in the kitchen shortly after Xander left. "I'll be home early this afternoon, if you need me to keep an eye on Dawn."  
  
"Sure," Spike said.  
  
After everyone had left the house and the kitchen was straightened, Spike returned to bed. Buffy was still sleeping peacefully. He curled up next to her and slept as well till about three o'clock. She woke up first and tried to sit up, which caused her to whimper in pain. The skin on her hip was tight and sensitive to movement. Spike was generally a deep sleeper, but not this time. He immediately got up and took her to the bathroom to put Willow's salve on her hip and rebandage the wound. It was healing, but not as quickly as Spike would have liked.  
  
"I don't think you should take a full bath or shower," he said. Let me give you a sponge bath."  
  
Buffy nodded in agreement.  
  
"Is the salve helping?"  
  
Again she nodded. The pain had obviously taken a lot out of her.  
  
After cleaning Buffy up, Spike forced her to go back to bed. Then he brought her the breakfast that Tara had made for her earlier. They said very little. He knew she was sorry about her outburst from the night before. And she knew he'd only tried to stop her because he cared about her. She also had to grudgingly admit (to herself at least) that he had a lot of experience in terms of fighting and had obviously been right.  
  
By the time Dawn and Zachary came in from school, Buffy was up and around downstairs. She wore a light pair of loose slacks and a tunic top so she had ease of movement and so she could pretend to Dawn that nothing had happened. Things were starting to feel more normal again. She wanted Dawn to feel that way a little bit longer, before something inevitably came along to end it.  
  
The young people sat in the diningroom in front of their books and snacks. But they weren't left alone much. Spike kept strutting in and peering over their shoulders. Buffy did her best to keep his attention on the late afternoon soaps, but he inevitably drifted back in there again. When Tara and Willow swept in, Buffy was relieved.  
  
"I hope you don't mind that I got in this late," Tara said to Buffy. "I told Spike I would come home early right after my last class. But Willow convinced me to stay and wait for her."  
  
"No big," Buffy said turning off the television. "It'll actually be easier to get Spike to the Magic Box now since it's getting dark. Ever since I washed those smelly traveling blankets of his he's been complaining how a big bad like him shouldn't smell like a flowery pouf."  
  
Tara laughed. "We could always bury the blankets in the garden for a couple of days to give `em a more earthy smell."  
  
"Maybe we'll do that." Buffy looked into the diningroom at Spike. He was standing over Zachary, his dark eyebrows knitted together listening to Dawn's explanation of the composition they were supposed to be working on for school. They had another week to write it. Zachary was working on a long lyric poem which she was sure would earn him at least three A's. Spike looked as if he wanted very much to say something, but was holding himself back.  
  
Willow pulled Buffy into the edge of the livingroom near the kitchen so that the kids in the diningroom couldn't hear. "How you feeling?" she whispered. "Your hip. Spike told us about it."  
  
"That salve you left worked beautifully."  
  
"Good. Keep using it. It will keep away infection as well as cut down on the pain and encourage healing."  
  
"I can't believe it's still bothering me so much. Spike says fire is the great equalizer, that it's the one thing that can destroy immortal and mortal. I think I'm beginning to believe him."  
  
"Well, he knows about things like that."  
  
"Yeah, but sometimes he's just so darn smug."  
  
"Men can be like that."  
  
"Do you want me to get you something to eat before you leave?" Tara asked.  
  
"No, that's all right," Buffy said. "Spike practically force fed me at four o'clock."  
  
Tara's eyes twinkled. "I think Willow taught him that. When I was laid up she kept trying to force feed me too. Now, I'm the one doing all the feeding around here."  
  
"Well, we'd better be off." Buffy lowered her voice to a whisper. "Before Spike scares Zachary away." She went up to her room and fetched herself a coat and grabbed Spike's duster from the back of the door. "Hey, Spike!" she called heading for the door.  
  
"Gotta go," he said to Dawn. "You kids listen to Willow and Tara."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Dawn answered in the voice of a whiny teenager.  
  
Once outside Buffy tossed Spike his duster. "You scarin' that poor kid?" she asked him.  
  
"No. Just listening to the school assignment they have. They're supposed to write about something or someone that means a lot to `em. You should talk to Dawn. She should write about your mother maybe. Sort of like an ode to her. She hardly ever talks about her. Hardly ever talked about you when you were gone either. She keeps things locked up inside like you do."  
  
"Right. And we should all leave our guts hanging out like you do all the time."  
  
"Well, at least no one has to wonder what I think or feel."  
  
"Sometimes I wish we could."  
  
"No you don't, Slayer. The fact that neither you or Captain Cardboard could bring yourselves to talk had a lot to do with your relationship blowing up. With me at least you won't have that problem."  
  
"True. Most times I can't shut you up."  
  
"And since we're talking . . ."  
  
"Oh, no! Here it comes."  
  
"I think we should talk about our plans for tonight."  
  
"Why? We're going to the Magic Box to tell Xander and Anya all about what happened last night. And then we're going to leave a message with the Nazari and do some patrolling."  
  
"No."  
  
"What do you mean, no?" Buffy said, stopping in her tracks. She slapped her hand on her right hip to make herself look insistent, but immediately regretted it. Pain from her burn went shooting through her. Until that moment it had been feeling so much better that she had momentarily forgotten about it.  
  
"That's why," Spike said with a righteous smirk. "Your hip. You can't go rolling all over the ground with a bunch of nasties like that. You could make it worse. After the Magic Box I think you should go alone to Willy's to see the Nazari while I go alone on patrol."  
  
Buffy didn't answer because she knew he was right. Instead she put on her pouty face. Why did he have to come up with so many damn ideas?  
  
"Look, you don't want me at Willy's anyway cos you're afraid I'll play kitten poker. Which by the way, I have now officially sworn off."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. She didn't believe that for a minute.  
  
"It's true. But you don't have to believe me. You can ask Speaker, the little Nazari. He'll tell you I haven't been there. He'd rather speak to you, anyway. I think he's got a bit of hero worship going for you, Slayer. And after you're through there, you can go home and spend some quality time with Dawn. Also, you can tell Willow and Tara all about last night because I didn't tell them all that much this morning."  
  
"Any MORE instructions?"  
  
"Come on, Slayer. You know it's the sensible thing to do."  
  
"Oh, all right," Buffy grumbled, starting to walk again. But her hip hurt again so she winced with each step.  
  
"You should have brought some of that salve," Spike said, noticing the faces she was making.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," she answered. Why did he always have to notice everything?  
  
By the time they got to the Magic Box, Anya was well on the way to closing things up. "How come you're so late?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. She continued turning off the lights at the front of the shop and switched around the sign in the door window to read "Closed." She figured if anything serious had happened they would have come in talking about it.  
  
"Hey!" Xander said. "So, you gonna tell us about last night so we're prepared for our turn at stake-out? Spike said you wanted to tell us the story yourself." He shot Spike an understanding look, which Spike returned.  
  
Buffy was pleased that Spike had at least left this much up to her. She launched into a full rundown of the night before, leaving out the part where Spike had told her not to go upstairs and their altercation over it. "I'm going to try and have a talk with the head Shadow in the next day or so about what happened," Buffy said. "I'll let you know if I come up with anything interesting."  
  
"I have some questions I want to ask Anya," Spike said. "With regular Fire demons, they always stop when they're about to throw a fireball. Then they can move again. With the fire jets, the demons don't seem to be able to move at all while they're doing it. And they don't seem able to control them that well. What does that sound like to you?"  
  
Anya stuck out her lower lip. "Like it's not natural for them to do what they're doing. Like it's a power that's sort of been tacked onto them."  
  
"That's what I thought too."  
  
Buffy looked from one to the other of them. "And this matters because . . ."  
  
"It means that they're not naturally able to do this," Spike said. "They're not some new hybrid of Fire demon that has suddenly developed. It sounds like some outsider has altered them just recently. This would tend to back up what the Shadows told us. You can tell Speaker that when you see him later."  
  
"It also means that you guys should probably stay in your car tonight and not come out, no matter what you see," Buffy said. "Those fire jets are pretty bad news, even if they can't control them all that well."  
  
"No problem," Anya said. "I don't particularly want to end up in flames." 


	46. Chapter Forty-Six - Allies

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX  
  
Allies  
  
After the meeting at the Bronze, Buffy and Spike parted, he for the cemetery to patrol, her to Willy's. He wanted to pull her into his arms for a kiss, but she was in feisty mood, still a bit put out at his planning their evening. "Don't be too late. I don't want you waking me up when you come in," was the only thing she said by way of goodbye.  
  
He was frustrated at her to say the least, but figured it was no good objecting. At least he was thoroughly in the mood for patrolling. A good fight was just what he needed.  
  
Buffy, in contrast, wasn't in the mood for fighting. She was actually in the mood to be alone. With Spike sleeping in her bed and with most everyone else she knew living in her house, she was hardly ever by herself anymore. Going to Willy's demon bar wasn't her idea of fun. But at least she got to be alone on the way there and back. It was nice not thinking about anyone else, just letting the cool darkness envelope her. No Dawn to watch over, no Scoobies to shepherd, no Spike coming up with ideas and disagreeing with her.  
  
She felt sort of good walking into Willy's. The bartender recognized her and looked a little nervous. But she didn't let her gaze linger on him. Instead she went to the back room where the little Nazari was once again playing poker. She wondered if he played there all the time now.  
  
As soon as the Nazari saw her enter the room, he asked to be dealt out. She stood by the door and waited patiently. Then he escorted her out to the alleyway.  
  
"Slayer," the little Nazari said, his voice and furry visage full of respect. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Speaker, right?"  
  
"Yes, Slayer. At your service." He gave a little bow.  
  
"I was wondering if you could set up another visit for me with the head of the Shadows. I looked into those burned out buildings like he said and even ran into a few of the Fire demons. My experts tell me that the fire tricks they're using aren't natural. And I found a building at 666 Lindemann that has a special tunnel leading up to it, guarded by an optical illusion of some kind. Probably magic. So, my first thought is that whoever is helping these Fire demons is magical. And that they're gradually burning all the buildings down around 666 Lindemann. I wonder if it's just the center of their operations for the moment or if they plan to use the building for something special. We ran into one of your, uh, people down there in the sewer. And he's the one who told us about the illusion."  
  
"Yes. I know who you mean." Speaker scratched his furry chin. "I don't remember his name. But his mate is very big with twins. Their little one from two seasons ago died. He was worried about trying to move his mate to the mines because she has been ill and he's worried for her and the little ones. It's a long way. But it is also very dangerous for them down there."  
  
"His name is Swimmer."  
  
"Excuse me, Slayer?"  
  
"The Nazari's name is Swimmer."  
  
"Ah, yes. I will try and remember."  
  
"I don't know what his mate's name is. Anyway, I thought all the Shadows had evacuated that area."  
  
"Oh, no, Slayer. The Shadows are a proud people. They will fight for their homes till they have no choice but to leave. The Nazari, however . . . well, my people are not so proud. We have already gone."  
  
"No," Buffy said, with a gentleness that surprised her. "That's not true. Swimmer is very brave to stay. And the Shadows can pass through walls while your people can't."  
  
"True. But still, I admire the Shadows for what they're doing."  
  
"Yeah. I just thought if there's anything we can do to try and help them protect the remaining buildings . . . there aren't many left anymore, but . . ."  
  
"I'm sure Ohanzee will thank you. I will tell him."  
  
Buffy scraped her sneaker along the ground. "Well, I guess that's all I needed to tell you."  
  
"When would you like to meet with Ohanzee?"  
  
"Tomorrow, early evening, before I go on stake-out to the area."  
  
Speaker bowed low. "Yes, Slayer. I'll go at once." He started away.  
  
"Uh, wait a minute."  
  
"Yes, Slayer."  
  
"I was just wondering . . . have you seen Mr. Spike around here lately?"  
  
Concern came into the little Nazari's eyes. "Is he missing?"  
  
"No, no. I've got him on this other assignment. I just wondered if he'd been here recently . . . in-between times."  
  
"No. He hasn't been here. I haven't seen him since we all met in the mines. If I see him, do you want me to give him a message?"  
  
"That's all right. I'll talk to him later."  
  
The little Nazari nodded and quickly ran off down the alley, away from Willy's.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The first part of Anya and Xander's stake-out was uneventful. Xander had brought a couple of sandwiches for them to eat. And that occupied them for the first forty-five minutes or so. After that, Anya began to become impatient.  
  
"This is kinda boring," she said. "I wish I'd brought my account book. I could've caught up on my accounts."  
  
"But how could you see them in the dark?"  
  
"I could have brought a flashlight."  
  
"But it might attract attention."  
  
"Well, I suppose." She glanced out the passenger window across the street.  
  
Xander looked at her appreciatively. "You know," he said in a soft voice, "I've been kinda proud of you lately. The way you've been giving us all that information on the Fire demons and the Shadows. You've really kind of taken Giles's place as the resident demon expert."  
  
Anya turned and gave her fiancé a glowing smile. "You think so? Like Giles, huh? Well, I have been around for a thousand years. I guess I should know the demon biz by now."  
  
Xander smoothed her hair lovingly. It was a dark brunette today, very straight. "I like this look. Course I liked all the others too," he said trying to be diplomatic.  
  
"Thanks. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to wear for the wedding yet." A figure outside the car caught her eye. "What's that," she asked, pointing out Xander's window.  
  
Xander looked, but whatever had been there was already gone. "What was it?"  
  
"It looked like a little man, kinda oldish maybe. Couldn't tell much. By the time I really looked, he was gone."  
  
"Probably nothing. As long as it wasn't a Fire demon."  
  
"No. It definitely wasn't one of them."  
  
They fell into a long spell of quiet again, watching the warehouse across the street. Suddenly several figures stepped out of the burned out building that they were parked in front of. Anya and Xander didn't see them at first because their attention was centered on the warehouse. But when two jets of fire hit the left side of the car, they immediately took notice.  
  
"Fire demons!" Anya yelled. "They've found us. Drive away! Drive away!"  
  
Xander struggled to turn the keys in the ignition as a third Fire demon stepped in front of the car and began shooting another jet of fire. Anya screamed. But Xander kept his cool and managed to get the car started. He raced the motor and knocked the Fire demon in the front of the car out of the way.  
  
"Go, go, go!" Anya yelled.  
  
"I'm going, I'm going," Xander returned. The windshield was blackened a bit and he was doing his damnest to get away, running over sidewalks in his eagerness to turn corners.  
  
"They're not following."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Where are we going now?"  
  
"Where do you think? To Buffy's."  
  
When Xander and Anya came running into Buffy's livingroom they found Willow and Tara and Buffy gathered around the sofa. Dawn was already in bed. Spike was still out on patrol. Buffy had just been giving Willow and Tara a rundown on what had happened the night before.  
  
"They tried to burn us!" Xander said, puffing.  
  
Buffy got up from the floor where she'd been sitting cross-legged. "Who? The Fire demons?"  
  
"Anya saw this figure of a little man and then a few minutes later there were three or four Fire demons that came and tried to set us on fire. Luckily I've got this really old car. They don't make `em as sturdy as that anymore."  
  
"A little man?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yes. He was very slight," Anya said, "and I got the impression he was kinda oldish. I didn't see him real well. Just for a second."  
  
"What would a little old man be doing down there so late?"  
  
"I don't know. I had the impression he was looking at us."  
  
"Sounds like they saw you two there and tried to scare you away," Buffy said.  
  
"Well, it certainly worked," Xander said.  
  
"Buffy said that these Fire demons might have increased their fire power by magic." Willow said.  
  
"Well, it makes sense," Anya said. "I've never seen a Fire demon do anything like this before. And they certainly looked like ordinary Fire demons."  
  
Willow turned to Tara. "If it's magic, it would have to be somebody pretty powerful. To give a whole group of demons additional powers and all."  
  
"It would," Tara agreed.  
  
"Well, this changes tomorrow's plans," Buffy said. "I think we'd better stop with these kinds of stake-outs. They're too dangerous. Maybe I can rig something up with the leader of the Shadows. I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow night."  
  
"You can borrow my car if you don't mind it being singed a little," Xander said. "I'll be at the Magic Box as usual after work."  
  
After a few more minutes of discussion, they all decided to call it a night. Xander and Anya went home, still flustered from their experience. And Tara and Willow adjourned to their room. Buffy stayed up for a bit longer to see if Spike would come in. Then she too decided to go to bed. She'd told him she didn't want to stay up late. And he was a full grown vampire, after all. He didn't need her to sit up and wait for him.  
  
It was the first time in a couple of weeks that Buffy went to bed by herself. She enjoyed it really. She had plenty of room in the bed and Spike wasn't spouting any annoying ideas about what they should do the following day. The room was quiet and all hers again. It was kinda neat. She fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
When Spike finally came in, she was sleeping comfortably with just the hint of a snore. As silently as possible, he undressed and slipped in beside her. He was glad to see her sleeping so soundly, and on her right side too. It meant her wound from the night before was improving. He looked at her for a moment, fighting the urge to touch her. Then he settled down to sleep himself.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Meanwhile, downtown at 666 Lindemann, the Fire demons had taken care of their fallen comrade and were reporting to the man that Anya had caught a glimpse of.  
  
"They got away," one of the demons said. "We didn't have enough power to go after them."  
  
"That's all right," the man said. "At least they got the message."  
  
"Who were they?" Ledic asked. He hadn't been part of the actual attack. But he had helped to take care of the fallen demon. Now he wanted to know what kind of menace the man was afraid of. "Was it police?"  
  
"No. I think even they've become afraid of this area. I recognized the young man in the car. He works with the Slayer."  
  
"The Slayer?" the first demon asked.  
  
"Yes. That was probably who tried to interfere with your work last night. She is my enemy. I have a score to settle with her. The next time you see anyone hanging around down here, you will destroy them as quickly as possible. Don't hesitate . . . Unless of course, you see a young woman with red hair. I don't want her harmed."  
  
"We'll do as you say, Mr. Doc," the first Fire demon said.  
  
"Good," the man said, with just the hint of a smile. 


	47. Chapter Forty-Seven - The Kidnapping

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN  
  
The Kidnapping  
  
The next morning Buffy woke up just before the sun rose, feeling very rested. She didn't remember Spike coming to bed the night before. But even though she'd kind of enjoyed turning in alone, there were very definite benefits to waking up and finding a good-looking naked vampire in your bed. With a little touching and nibbling she was able to coax him into wakefulness and a little lovemaking.  
  
Afterwards, they curled up together. "So, what time did you get in?" she asked  
  
"Late," he said. "Didn't notice what time."  
  
"Was there trouble?"  
  
"Not at first. It was bloody boring really. Then some time in the wee hours I saw this gang of vamps waiting for one of their mates to rise. I got the fledgling pretty quick and one of the others. But the rest of the group was hard to track down." He pulled her closer and whispered provocatively in her ear. "Judging from this morning's activities, your hip seems better."  
  
"Much. But you'll have to change my bandage for me later. And put some more of that salve on it."  
  
"Didn't you change it last night?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's more fun when you do it."  
  
Spike gave a little laugh. He ran his thumb up and down her arm, enjoying the contrast between her skin's softness and the muscles underneath.  
  
"Xander and Anya got attacked last night by the Fire demons, while they were sitting in their car."  
  
"Are they all right?" Spike asked lifting up his head to look at her.  
  
"Yeah. Just shaken up." She told him the whole story and then filled him in on her meeting with Speaker, the little Nazari.  
  
"So you and me are supposed to speak to the head Shadow tonight?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. But I have to go in and meet with one of Dawn's teachers after school, so meet me at the Magic Box just after dark. It might be a long night, so we'll try and rest up today as much as possible."  
  
"A day in bed." Spike smirked. "I think I can suffer through that."  
  
"Resting."  
  
"Right."  
  
A door opened and closed outside in the hallway and sleepy feet padded toward the bathroom. Buffy glanced at the clock on her side of the bed. "Gotta get up," she said. "Gotta fix Dawn's breakfast and see her off to school. I can't let Tara do it again today. You can stay here and get some more sleep. You had a longer night than I did."  
  
"Right, Luv," Spike said. But he didn't close his eyes till after Buffy left the room. It was too much fun watching her get dressed, her hair swinging and her skin glowing in the soft morning light.  
  
Of course they didn't do much sleeping during the rest of the day as Buffy had thought they should. But she was quite relaxed by the time she started getting dressed to meet Dawn's teacher.  
  
"I want to look serious and conservative," she said, as she looked through her clothes closet. I hope they're not calling me in to complain about Dawn. She's been studying more. I know she has. And Zachary's really has been helping her. They don't just sit around making goo-goo eyes at each other."  
  
"No, that boy's got a right old egghead on his shoulders," Spike agreed. "He actually enjoys school work. Which is more than I could ever say of me."  
  
"Well, I think he's good for Dawn in lots of ways. So . . . what do you think?" Buffy did a twirl to show off her conservative skirt and blouse and sensible shoes.  
  
"Very posh," Spike said appreciatively. "You gonna meet the Shadows in those duds?"  
  
"No. I'm got some extra slay clothes down at the Magic Box in the training room," she said patting, her hair into place. "OK. Gotta run. I'm late. See you later."  
  
"Bye, Luv," Spike called after her.  
  
Once she was gone, Spike got up and went downstairs for some blood and some telly watching. Then, just as the sky was darkening, he headed off to the Magic Box. He was only a block away when he heard someone go, "Psst," behind him. When he turned around, he saw what he thought was Buffy. It certainly looked like Buffy. Her hair was drawn back in a different hairstyle than the one she'd worn when she'd gone out earlier and she had on a more casual outfit. But he'd been expecting her to change anyway from her teacher-meeting duds.  
  
"What is it, Luv?" he asked, approaching her.  
  
But the Buffy figure didn't speak. She waved her hand silently, motioning for him to follow her. Which he did, zapping to her side in quick vampire fashion.  
  
"What's up?" he asked again.  
  
The Buffy figure put a finger to her mouth, telling him to be quiet. Then she continued on down the street toward an alleyway two blocks from the Magic Box.  
  
"Why so secretive?" Spike asked. "Are we playing a game?" He stretched his right hand out behind her and ran it familiarly up the Buffy figure's rear end. The Buffy figure jumped in surprise, but kept moving forward, only quicker now. "You still feeling a might frisky, Luv?" Spike asked. "Wasn't this morning and this afternoon enough for you?"  
  
The Buffy figure closed its eyes for a split second and gulped. It wasn't really Buffy. It was Jonathan, using an illusion to make himself look like Buffy, in order to lure Spike to the nearby alleyway. They knew Spike hung out with Buffy sometimes and that they worked together. But they hadn't thought there was anything else between them. Warren had told Jonathan and Andrew about the Buffy-bot that Warren had made for Spike . . . with all those special talents. But they had taken that to mean that there was nothing romantic or sexual going on between them. Evidently that had changed. Spike's hand on what he thought was Buffy's ass, and his words about this morning and this afternoon told a completely different story. Jonathan prayed hard that Warren's new device would render Spike harmless, otherwise he could end up in a very embarrassing situation.  
  
Even though Warren had been raving all the way over about getting the diamond back and taking revenge on Spike, Jonathan had been hoping to get him to reconsider what they'd originally talked about in reference to Spike, back when he'd first come to them about the chip in his head. Jonathan had been hoping they could convince Spike to switch over to their side against Buffy. Maybe be their double agent, using Warren's device as a sort of encourager. Jonathan had thought Spike might hold a grudge against Buffy because of the chip (because he figured it likely that she had been the one to muzzle him). Only now . . . he wasn't so sure. He had a feeling things were going to be get very ugly.  
  
Jonathan picked up his pace yet again.  
  
"Buffy, what is up with you?" Spike asked.  
  
Jonathan ran the last few yards into the alley, past a waiting Warren. As soon as Spike came around the bend, Warren switched on his device.  
  
Immediately, searing pain shot through Spike's head. It felt as if his brain were being burned from the inside out. He was vaguely aware that it was the chip, but it was worse than anything he'd ever experienced. And the pain wouldn't allow for much thinking. His eyes closed but he still saw a white light flashing behind his eyes. "Aaah!" Spike called out as he sank to his knees.  
  
"It works!" Warren said, jumping up and down. "It works!" He raised the power up still higher.  
  
Spike cried out in agony again and then fell forward onto the asphalt, unconsciousness.  
  
"See how powerful it is?" Warren said, his bloodshot eyes glinting triumphantly.  
  
"Yes," Jonathan said, turning back into himself. "But he's out now. Don't you think you should turn that thing off?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Guess I can." Warren turned off the remote and stuck it into his pocket. Then he fell on Spike's still form and started rifling through his clothes.  
  
"What are you doing?" Jonathan asked. "Shouldn't we be getting him into the van before someone sees us?"  
  
"I'm looking for the diamond. It's got to be here." Warren ripped through Spike's pockets but came up with very little. There some cigarettes, his lighter, and a set of keys. Warren held up the keys. "Wonder what these are to. What does a vampire need keys for?"  
  
Jonathan had a pretty good idea that they were to Buffy's house, but he didn't want to discuss it just then. He had visions of Buffy coming down the block and seeing them bent over her boyfriend's prone body. He had a feeling she wouldn't be very nice about it. "We've got to get him out of here. You can check his pockets again once we get him in the van. We're not very far from the place where Buffy and her friends hang out. One of them might come by. Help me get him inside."  
  
Warren complied. But as soon as the van took off, he started checking through Spike's pockets again. "Where is it?" he wailed.  
  
In the enclosed space Jonathan was very aware that Warren hadn't seen the inside of a bath or a shower in several days. And that wasn't all, his beard had grown out, his hair was matted down and he had mad hungry look in his bloodshot eyes. From what Jonathan had been able to discern, Warren hadn't slept in several days, nor had he eaten much of anything. He also mumbled a lot, sounding a bit like one of his bots, shorted out.  
  
"Where could it be," Warren asked himself. "Maybe he got rid of it. Or maybe he gave it away. No! How could he do that! He couldn't. It MUST be here! But it's not, it's not. Maybe it's gone for good. No. It's can't be." He started whimpering. "It's got to come back to me. But if it's gone, what do I do? I don't know. I don't know what to do." Warren began rocking himself back and forth. "Gotta get it back or gotta have revenge. Gotta get it back or gotta have revenge. Gotta get it back or gotta have revenge . . ." And so went the refrain, on and on.  
  
Jonathan didn't say anything. There was no getting through to Warren while he was like this. He figured after they got back to Warren's, maybe then he would try and get him to see some reason.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
"Where is he?" Buffy asked looking out the front door of the Magic Box with irritation. It was fully dark by then and Spike should have been there long ago.  
  
"Probably just lost track of time," Xander said.  
  
Zachary had gone home on his own after school that day because Dawn and Buffy were supposed to meet with Dawn's teacher. After the conference, Dawn had gone with Buffy to the Magic Box and was now using Xander as her tester in history. He was reading off questions from her text book and she was answering them. The two of them were seated comfortably at the circular table in the center of the shop. Dawn was in a good mood because her teacher had basically called Buffy in to tell her that Dawn was starting to improve. Dawn was hoping that that would soon lead to renewed privileges and later evenings with Zachary.  
  
"I swear, I will dust Spike when he gets here," Buffy said with feeling.  
  
"Maybe he just fell asleep," Dawn said. "Try calling him at home to see if he's left yet."  
  
Buffy went to the back of the shop and called the house. But there was no answer. She slammed the phone down and growled, "Where is he?"  
  
"Easy on the phone back there," Anya said. "It's a sturdy old thing, but it costs money."  
  
"I can't wait much longer," Buffy said.  
  
"You want me to go with you instead?" Xander offered. "That is, if Anya doesn't need me."  
  
"No. I'm fine," Anya said. "Only, I don't know if I want you to go on stake-out again. We don't have any weapons that can fight those fire jets. The crossbows you and Spike used the other night couldn't have been much use at all."  
  
"Don't worry, Anya," Buffy said. "If Xander comes with me, I won't bring him on stake-out. Either I'll go by myself or I'll wait till tomorrow and go with Spike . . . IF I let him live."  
  
"Well, OK. In that case . . ."  
  
In the end Buffy went off to meet the Shadows with Xander instead of Spike. It was an easy enough meeting. Ohanzee said that he had heard that she had tried to help his people fight the Fire demons earlier in the week. He said he appreciated it. And that he had spread word among them that she was trying to help.  
  
"My people will leave when we must," Ohanzee told Buffy in his slow way. "But not before."  
  
"There are only two buildings left standing on that avenue," Buffy said. "Except for the warehouse at 666, that is. Do you know anything special about that building?"  
  
"No. But I think it is their center."  
  
"And where are they getting the magic power to do this?"  
  
"I don't know. But, I think it is not from one being, but a group."  
  
"A group of demons?"  
  
"Not sure. But if it was one group, one kind of demon, we would probably know."  
  
"Yes," Speaker said. He was there also at the meeting. "Things get out, you know around town. Especially at Willy's. If one specific group of demons was involved, we would have heard. I've been keeping an ear out."  
  
"So. What are you saying? It's a group made up of different types of demons and they've hired on the Fire demons to do their dirty work."  
  
"The Fire demons," Ohanzee said, "before they always had too much pride to be hirelings. This new power must have looked good to them."  
  
And what was the point to all of this anyway, Buffy wondered. To take over Sunnydale? Or open up the Hellmouth again? "I'm going over there and look around some more."  
  
"My people will help you," Ohanzee said. "But the Fire demons will not be around tonight. Police will be there tonight because of last night's fire. The guns of the police frighten the Fire demons."  
  
Guns, Buffy thought. Spike had wanted to use guns. But if these fire jets were created by magic, perhaps they could fight them with magic. "I'll go down tomorrow then maybe," Buffy said. "I don't particularly want to meet the police either. I also want to talk to my people about possible weapons. I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. And I'll let Speaker know if I need to talk to you again."  
  
"You can come here any time. I or one of my people will talk to you," Ohanzee said.  
  
"Yeah," Speaker agreed. "Most of my people are down here now too. So you can talk to them also. But anything else you need, just ask me."  
  
"Well, actually," Buffy said. "There is something, Speaker."  
  
"Anything, Slayer," the little Nazari said. "My people want to help get our homes back."  
  
"If you see Mr., uh, Spike, would you tell him I need him to get in touch with me as soon as possible."  
  
"He is missing then?"  
  
"Only since this evening," Buffy said, with a glance toward Xander. "He was supposed to be at this meeting and he isn't here."  
  
"I will ask around Willy's. Many know him there."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," Buffy whispered under her breath as she turned to go.  
  
Once outside Buffy thanked Xander for accompanying her.  
  
"No problem," he said. "Those Shadows are real formal, aren't they?"  
  
"Yeah, a bit."  
  
"And the Nazari, when I look at him I kinda feel like I'm in Star Wars."  
  
Buffy laughed. "Yeah, I can see that. You should see him sitting at a poker table. He can barely see over it."  
  
"So, you think Spike is hanging at Willy's?"  
  
"If he is, I'll kill him. He promised me he was giving up kitten poker. On the way back, could you drop me at the cemetery? I'll check his crypt and see if he's been there. I also know where he hides his motor cycle. I'll check and see if it's there. He better have a good excuse about where he's been."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
When Spike came to, he found himself strapped by various chains and straps to a table in Warren's basement. Of course he didn't know where he was right away. But Warren's head looming over him told him pretty quick. For a moment Spike didn't know who it was. The young man's face was twisted from advancing madness and lack of sleep. "Warren?" Spike said. "What in the bloody hell do you think you're playing at here? When I get my hands on you, I'll break your bloody head off."  
  
"Don't think so," Warren cackled. "You can't hurt me. I'm human!"  
  
Spike squinted at him, not comprehending.  
  
"That's right. I know your secret. About what the chip in your head does. And, I've made this little box here so that I can control the pain impulses. See." Warren held up the little remote control. "I can turn it on." He did so, but on a low setting.  
  
Spike reacted immediately as the pain hit him. He closed his eyes and slammed his head back onto the table. But he kept himself from crying out.  
  
"And I can turn it off," Warren said, doing so. "Convinced."  
  
"All right, Mate," Spike said, his tone less cocky. "That's a right smart box you've got there. Now, what do you want?"  
  
"Not much. Just my diamond . . . And of course some revenge."  
  
"What Warren means," Jonathan said nervously, "is that we want the diamond back and if you cooperate you won't get hurt."  
  
"I didn't mean that at all," Warren said. "I fully intend to hurt him. But before I do, I want the diamond back."  
  
"Uh, Dude," Jonathan whispered, "don't you think we'd get a little further if you at least pretended that we were going to work with him? I mean, why should he work with us if he knows we're gonna hurt him anyway?"  
  
"Don't tell me, let me guess," Spike said, looking from one to the other of the humans. "Warren here is the one who stole the diamond from the museum. Or at the very least, he's the one that kept it in his hot little hands."  
  
"Well, uh . . ." said Jonathan.  
  
"That's right," Warren interrupted, "It's mine and I want it back. Hand it over!"  
  
Spike laughed. "You know I don't have it. You must have searched me already. Truth is, I haven't got it anymore."  
  
"Where is it?" Warren screamed, wrapping his hands around Spike's neck. Of course, he wasn't strong enough to actually hurt the vampire. But it was a good demonstration of his madness. "Give it back. Give it back."  
  
"Not likely I'd tell you, is it? It's gone, that's all. And you should be glad. That diamond's got a curse on it."  
  
"A curse?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Yeah. Only works on humans. Drives the one who owns it mad, burns their brains out till there's nothing left."  
  
"I'm not mad," Warren insisted. "But you will be if I turn this little remote control on and just let it keep running."  
  
"Jonathan, you'd better do something about your little friend here," Spike said. "Maybe we can find something to make him well. But if he doesn't get help, his brain will just go all to pieces. Seems like there's not much left as it is."  
  
A curse. That made sense to Jonathan. Ever since the diamond had come to them, Warren hadn't acted normally, not even for him. Maybe now that they knew what it was they could find a cure, something to counteract the curse. "I think we should end this," Jonathan said to his mad friend. "You're not well. You need help."  
  
"No I don't!" Warren yelled. "I'm fine. Ask Andrew."  
  
Spike looked around the room, but didn't see any sign of the third member of the Triad. He looked at Jonathan questioningly.  
  
"Don't ask," Jonathan said to Spike.  
  
"Andrew says I'm perfectly fine and that I'm making lots of sense," Warren said.  
  
Spike's dark eyebrows wandered up his face in confusion.  
  
"Look, maybe I can find something at my house," Jonathan offered backing up toward the door. "I have lots of books on magic and curses and . . ."  
  
"You're not going anywhere," Warren said. From under his desk he pulled a high tech looking gun and pointed it directly at Jonathan's chest. "Andrew and I made this while the computer was running diagnostics on the chip. You can do an awful lot when you cut out eating and sleeping. You can live a whole `nother life. We're thinking of calling this a Molecular Disturber."  
  
"A what?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"A Molecular Disturber. I know it's not a great name, but Andrew and I will come up with a snappier once we get a few extra moments. Basically what it does is separate all of your molecules from each other. And you just sort of go poof. Course I haven't tried it out yet. Shall I test it on you?"  
  
"No. That's all right," Jonathan said, his hands up. Warren may have been mad, but he was still an electronic genius. Jonathan had no doubt that this new little gadget could do just what he said it did.  
  
"Good. Now you sit down over there, nice and quiet. While I talk to our friend here."  
  
Jonathan slowly did as he was told. He'd have to wait for his chance to escape a little while longer.  
  
"Now," Warren said, walking back to Spike. "Where is my diamond?"  
  
"Not telling," Spike said.  
  
"Oh, that's too bad. But I have a feeling you will, in a while." He turned on the remote control and Spike's muscles convulsed in pain. "Think about it. But don't take too long, or I'll up the power. And feel free to cry out. I had the place sound proofed so the sound of all my machinery wouldn't bother my mom."  
  
Spike writhed in agony, but he refused to cry out. He didn't want to give Warren the satisfaction. And he wasn't going to tell Warren where the diamond was, no matter what. The guy was clearly off his bird, ready for Bedlam. Even though Buffy and Willow might be able to take care of themselves, he couldn't let this nut job anywhere near Dawn or Tara. He couldn't say anything.  
  
"Still, not talking?" Warren said. "Well, I'll just up the power a little." And he did.  
  
The white lights started to appear behind Spike's eyes again. He tried to think of a way to escape it.  
  
"Go ahead, don't tell me," Warren said. "It's more fun this way. Also, after your brain burns out and your personality is gone, I might be able to get one of my little toys to control you. Make you into my own private little vampire zombie. I'll make you kill and destroy anyone and anything I want. Won't that be fun!" He tittered to himself. "No, Andrew," he continued out loud to the other entity that was supposed sharing his deteriorating brain, "we cannot have a sandwich to celebrate. Don't be a wimp."  
  
Spike heard Warren's words and tried to fight the pain. If only he could escape it. If only he could leave and become someone else, someone that Warren could never use, no matter how hard he tried. Someone like that bloody wanker he had been before Dru had found him. William. William the bloody awful poet, who couldn't think about anything but words and rhymes and his love for a pretty girl who would never love him back. William could never be used to do anyone's dirty work. He was too much of a milquetoast. Maybe if he pretended that he were back in his mother's parlor again in London as William, writing out pretty words in long hand . . . 


	48. Chapter Forty-Eight - Searching

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT  
  
Searching  
  
When Buffy got home, she found Willow, Tara, and Dawn watching television. "Is Spike back?" she asked a little breathless.  
  
"No," Dawn answered.  
  
"I thought maybe he'd show up at that meeting with the Shadows, but he didn't. I've got that little furry demon we're working with checking for him at Willy's. And I checked his crypt and his motor cycle. No sign of him."  
  
"He'll probably turn up," Tara said, turning off the television. "He hasn't been gone that long yet."  
  
"When I wanted to get rid of the guy I couldn't get him to stay away from me. Now, I'm gonna kill him. Whatever his excuse is, it had better be good." Buffy took off her jacket and threw it over a chair. "Willow, Tara, I have a magic question for you guys. I need a weapon against the fire jets. Now, if they're being caused by magic, is there some way that I might be able to counteract the spell?"  
  
"That's hard to do if you don't know how the spell was caused," Tara said.  
  
"Unless . . ." Willow said. She hiked her legs under her. "Actually, I've been thinking about this. Well, about that big gun we captured really, the one that hurt Tara. It must have used the diamond's ability to transfer power. It tried to take Tara's life force and transfer it into whoever was holding the gun. But that's only one aspect of the diamond's ability to transfer power. According to the Watcher's website, the diamond can also transfer power by absorbing it and then shooting it back to its source, thus canceling the power out. But of course, that would only work if the power originated from a human."  
  
"Wait a minute," Buffy said. "The diamond can take someone's powers and cancel them out?"  
  
"Yeah, by a slightly different kind of transference. In that case, the diamond transfers the power temporarily to itself and then does a boomerang effect to cancel it out. Then the diamond can protect its owner from supernatural attack by humans if necessary. Because you see, sometimes, it's not entirely healthy to absorb someone else's powers because you might not be able to adapt to it."  
  
"But the Fire demons are demons," Buffy pointed out.  
  
"Right. But they're probably not the ones who are doing this magic, because Anya and Spike said these subterranean types don't do much of that. So, it's possible that human witchcraft is behind them. Then you could use the diamond to transfer the magic into the diamond and turn it back to its source and cancel it out. Course you could only do it one demon at a time."  
  
"And, if this magic is being caused by a demon or a god like Glory?"  
  
"Then it won't work. But it's worth a try. At least you'll know who isn't causing the magic."  
  
"And how do I get the diamond to do this?"  
  
"Well, you could hold it in your hand and do various spells and such to make it work. But you don't have any experience with magic so it would be hard. I could try and rework the gun. I could probably tinker with it and find a way. I've got like no classes tomorrow. I could tinker with it."  
  
"I don't have any classes either," Tara said. "So I could help her."  
  
"All right," Buffy agreed. "I'll go get it for you."  
  
Willow seemed very pleased to be performing such an important role. She accepted the gun with a big smile on her face. "This is gonna be fun, she said as she hefted it in her hands to test its weight."  
  
A little while later, Willow and Tara went to bed, with Dawn not far behind.  
  
"Don't worry," Dawn said to her sister. "He'll be home. He's probably just playing poker with the boys or something like that and lost track of time."  
  
"If that's where he is, I'll stake him," Buffy said. But her words didn't have quite as much force anymore. This just wasn't like him. She sat up for a while and watched TV, hoping that he might come in. Then, she stood at the front door and looked out the small lower window for a while, hoping to see his tall form separate from the shadows.  
  
Finally, she went to bed. Only this time she didn't have the same enjoyment in turning in by herself. She kept listening for the front door or his footsteps in the hall. She couldn't find a comfortable position, but kept sliding further and further into his side of the bed as if seeking him there. She yearned to touch him, to pull up close to his body and feel his arms around her.  
  
When Buffy heard Dawn padding around in the morning, she was still wide awake. She went downstairs, moving mostly on auto-pilot. The only breakfast she could think of making was instant oatmeal and orange juice.  
  
"Hey," Dawn said, coming into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey," Buffy returned.  
  
"Did Spike come in last night?"  
  
"No."  
  
"OK," Dawn said, "now I'm getting scared. He's never stayed out all night before. At least, not since he's been staying here."  
  
"It's not like him," Buffy agreed. "I'm going to check his crypt again this morning. And I'll check Willy's myself tonight to see if there's any sign of him there."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Jonathan had nodded off to sleep sometime during the wee hours of the morning. But Warren was still pacing and keeping watch over Spike. Sometimes he'd turn off the remote control and question him. But for the most part he'd just sit and watch him squirm in agony.  
  
About the time Dawn was leaving for school, Warren turned off the remote for another question and answer session. It had been a long time since the last one and Spike's body didn't even react to the turning off of the mechanism right away.  
  
"All right, Spike," Warren said, "are you ready to talk yet?"  
  
Spike's eyes crossed and uncrossed as he tried to make sense of the question. "Who's Spike?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
"Don't fool around! I wanna know where the diamond is. Does Buffy have it?"  
  
Again Spike tried to think. Was Buffy a name? "Who's Buffy?"  
  
Warren smashed Spike in the face with his fist. "Don't act cute with me."  
  
Jonathan stirred on his chair and eyed the door at the other end of the room. Warren wasn't holding his new gun at that point. So, Jonathan wondered if he could get up and sneak out while Warren was beating up on Spike. Slowly he slipped out of his chair and tiptoed toward the door.  
  
But Warren's senses were all heightened by adrenaline. He heard Jonathan's footsteps as if they were made by the feet of an elephant. He grabbed his Molecular Disturber and whipped around. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.  
  
"Uh, no where," Jonathan lied. He looked around the room, searching for an excuse. "I'm, uh, I'm just going to the bathroom." He pointed to the little half bath near the stairs. "Is that all right?"  
  
"Oh. Sure. Just no funny stuff, OK? I'm workin' here."  
  
"OK. You just go on with what you're doing." Jonathan locked himself in the bathroom, wishing he could stay there. But he knew he couldn't. Warren's Molecular Disturber could probably take down the door. Outside he could hear Warren questioning Spike. But it didn't seem to be getting anywhere and Warren was getting angrier. "Did you leave that remote thing on all night?" Jonathan asked, coming back out into the basement proper.  
  
"Mostly," Warren said. "I needed to teach him a lesson.  
  
"Maybe that's why he can't answer. Maybe you've fried his brain already."  
  
Warren looked at the little black box in his hand questioningly. "No. It's too soon for that. Andrew agrees with me. At some point the battery in the chip will burn out. It's meant to run a long time, but not constantly like this. By the time that happens, probably within sometime tomorrow morning, I think his brain will be burned beyond repair." Warren laughed at the thought. "Course the chip won't work at that point, but it won't matter, cos neither will his brain. We'll replace it with something else. Make him our servant zombie."  
  
"Yeah, but, he already doesn't know who Buffy is, Dude. Doesn't that sound strange to you? Look, I've been wondering. Maybe we should quit torturing him and instead use him as a hostage. You know, tell Buffy that we've got him and then threaten to kill him if she doesn't get us back the diamond and stay out of our way. Spike's really more valuable to us alive than dead."  
  
"What does Buffy care about him?"  
  
"Because, Dude . . ." Jonathan lowered his voice to a whisper. Not that Spike was listening anyway. He was way off in another world somewhere. "Something happened yesterday day that made me think that maybe Spike and Buffy are more than just working buddies. I think she's his girlfriend."  
  
"What?" Warren made a face. "Don't be stupid. Why would he have wanted the bot then?"  
  
"Stuff changes. Maybe something happened since then that made `em closer. I don't know. But I'm telling you, it's true."  
  
Warren looked at Jonathan in disbelief. It was a ridiculous idea. But the simplest way to test it seemed to be to ask Spike. "Spike," he said, "Is Buffy your girlfriend?"  
  
"Buffy?" Spike said the word slowly, tripping over the two f's. Who's Buffy?"  
  
"Your girlfriend?"  
  
"Girlfriend . . ." Spike's voice trailed off as he sought the answer. He felt very far away, from Warren's basement, from the chip in his head, from all the pain. It was as if this conversation were going on outside of reality, on another plane of existence. "Girl . . . you mean Cecily?" But she wasn't his girlfriend. He wished she was. She was like a goddess floating among beings of clay.  
  
"Who the hell is Cecily?" Warren asked.  
  
But Spike didn't answer. He'd stopped hearing them again.  
  
"I think he's lost it," Jonathan said. "Buffy's probably the one who's got the diamond. I say we try and make a trade with her."  
  
"No. I don't trust Buffy. She doesn't play fair."  
  
"Well, this isn't gonna get us anywhere. Look at his eyes. They're all glassy and starring off into space, like he's not here. I don't think you're gonna get anything out of him."  
  
"At least, I'm gonna get my revenge."  
  
"Really, I think . . ."  
  
Warren picked up his Molecular Disturber again and pointed it at Jonathan. "Andrew and I don't care what you think. Go sit down in your chair and keep quiet. You're outvoted."  
  
Jonathan held up both his hands in surrender. "OK, sure, Dude. Just trying to help."  
  
"We don't need your help!"  
  
Warren continued trying to question Spike. But he got absolutely no where. So Warren turned on the remote control once again. This time it was at a higher level and Spike started to cry out.  
  
From his chair across the room, Jonathan squirmed. Somehow he had to get out and get help. Warren was so gone now there was no hope of reaching him. And he was pretty sure that after Warren finished with Spike, it was gonna be his turn for torture.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy found Spike's crypt to be just as empty and desolate as it had been the night before. Since he'd been staying at her house, he evidently hadn't been back there much. The refrigerator was completely empty of blood and it was even unplugged, as if Spike hadn't planned on using it anymore. The bed downstairs, though, was made and still had sheets on it, as if he thought they might be using that on occasion. Not an impossibility, since they came often to the cemetery on patrol.  
  
Buffy climbed into the middle of the cold bed and snuggled against one of the pillows. Where was he? Why couldn't she find any trace of him?  
  
In the early evening, she made her way to Willy's. And though there still weren't many customers yet, Speaker was there. Not playing poker, but talking to various demons. He came up to Buffy as soon as he saw her.  
  
"Slayer," he said, "I've been asking around, but I haven't been able to find out anything about Mr. Spike. He hasn't been here and no one has seen him."  
  
"Thank you," Buffy said.  
  
"It's a pleasure. Maybe I can't be a hero like you and Mr. Spike. But helping you makes me feel like I almost could be one. I promise to keep an ear out. I'll go over to the Bronze later to see the Galera demons. I know Mr. Spike sometimes works shifts for them. They come in here, but not that much. Like the Shadows, they tend to keep to themselves. So do the Nazari, but I've always been such a talker, I find it easier to mix than most of my people."  
  
"Yes." Buffy had to agree. He certainly was a talker. His name fit him quite well. "Thank you for all your help."  
  
"Any time, Slayer," he said earnestly. If he'd had a tail, Buffy had a feeling he would have wagged it.  
  
Speaker went back to talking to the other patrons. And Buffy made her way to the door. Just as she reached for the handle, Tiger, the loan shark stepped in front of her. This was not someone Buffy wanted to see. The last thing she wanted to hear was how big Spike's kitten debt was. "What do you want?" she asked impatiently, her arms crossed.  
  
"Not a thing, Slayer" Tiger answered. "I just heard from the little Nazari that Mr. Spike has been, shall we say misplaced."  
  
"Did you have something to do with it?" Buffy asked sharply.  
  
"No. Not me. I just wanted to say is how I'll keep my eyes out for him and have my boys keep a look out too. I admire a man that pays off his debts like Mr. Spike has. Wish more of my customers would do that. Would make my life a whole lot easier. If I hear anything, I'll tell the Nazari."  
  
"Well . . . good. Thank you," Buffy said, amazed that she was thanking this shark guy who only months before had tried to rough up Spike and the rest of her friends. But lately, she'd been making a lot of strange allies. "I've gotta go now."  
  
"Of course," Tiger said, stepping out of the way. "A slayer's work is never done. Just like mine." 


	49. Chapter Forty-Nine - Solo Slayer

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE  
  
Solo Slayer  
  
Before she went downtown that evening to Lindemann Avenue, Buffy picked up Spike's motor cycle and the updated ray gun that Willow and Tara had been working on. It was well after dark by then but Zachary and Dawn were still in the diningroom doing their study hall thing.  
  
Willow pulled Buffy off into the kitchen, out of sight of Zachary, to give her the gun. "Now, just point it at one of the demons while he's shooting out a fire jet," Willow explained. "Then pull this trigger. Whatever power they're using is probably an ongoing one. In other words, there's probably a group of crystals somewhere sitting in the middle of a pentagram or a circle constantly sending out energy to them. If the magic originates from humans, the diamond will short circuit it. If not, get out of there quick. Oh, and this is where the diamond fits in."  
  
"All right," Buffy said. She already had the diamond in her pocket for safe keeping. "Take care of Dawn, will you?"  
  
"Sure, Willow said. "If you don't mind, we told her she could have Zachary over for dinner tonight."  
  
"This is starting to look serious," Buffy whispered to Willow. "Before I know it, I'll be giving the bride away."  
  
"Oh, I think we've got a couple of years before that happens," Willow whispered back. But she smiled at the idea of it. Dawn all beautiful in white, Zachary looking all egghead and cute. Buffy giving the bride away and herself playing the role of maid of honor. Yep, a definitely nice dream.  
  
"I'd better go out the back way," Buffy said, "so Zack doesn't see me. The less he knows the better."  
  
Outside, Buffy strapped the ray gun to the back of the motor cycle and took off in the direction of downtown. She wasn't the best of all motor cycle drivers. But Spike had given her a few lessons on it. She took it because she needed some form of transportation and she was afraid the Fire demons might recognize Xander's car if they saw it again.  
  
She parked in an alleyway at the far end of Lindemann Avenue, next to one of the last standing buildings. This was another advantage to driving a motor cycle, you could park it pretty much any place you liked so it would be out of sight. After slipping the diamond into place on the ray gun, Buffy considered the best way to enter. A broken window made the most sense. Of course the Shadows would hear her. But that was OK.  
  
Using some discarded metal from the burned out building next door, she rammed through the glass of the standing building. Then she climbed in. Ohanzee seemed to indicate that the Shadows didn't carry weapons. But she didn't want to make them nervous by her sudden appearance.  
  
"Hello?" she announced to the dark and empty first floor, "Ohanzee sent me!"  
  
"Hello," a voice in the darkness said. "We thought you might come." A Shadow demon came out into the faint light shining through the broken window. His step was silent and his gray form seemed to be just another part of the gloom. "I am Masichuvio. I am leader here."  
  
"Masichu . . .?" Ohanzee had been bad enough. But this name was impossible. "Do you mind if I just call you Mas? You can call me Buffy."  
  
The Shadow blinked his large black eyes. This made no sense to him. But then, he didn't know much about humans. "You may call me that," he said in his moany voice. "Police were here last night. We expect an attack maybe this night, or next."  
  
"I brought a gun that I'd like to try out." She held up Warren's ray gun. "I don't know if it'll work. But it's worth a try. Where do you think the Fire demons would come in?"  
  
"Downstairs. They always come from below. Then spread through the building." Masichuvio led the way to the back of the main floor. "We locked door to slow down the Fires. The human watchmen left the keys behind. No humans want to stay here now." He unlocked the door and Buffy peered down the darkened stairs. She wondered how she could shine a flashlight so she could see and be ready to shoot her gun, all at the same time. She realized that if Spike had been there he could have led the way or held the light for her. It seemed like such a long time since she'd done something like this without his help. It felt like a part of her was missing.  
  
She was wondering if maybe she should ask one of the Shadows to accompany her, when a call from across the floor alerted them to a series of fires that were beginning at the only other standing building on the block besides the warehouse at 666.  
  
"The Fire demons!" a Shadow near the broken window called. "They're attacking the building at the other end of the avenue."  
  
"I'm on my way," Buffy said to Masichuvio. "You lock this door in case they try coming up here at the same time."  
  
"Yes," Masichuvio said, "Then I will follow."  
  
Buffy ran to the open window and tore off down the street, bringing with her the ray gun and the piece of metal that she had used to break the window earlier. The other standing building was already showing signs of fire on several floors. She managed to break a window here too. No need for a flashlight, though. The Fire demons had already started several small fires and were chasing a number of Shadows in various directions.  
  
With a little prayer, Buffy turned on the ray gun and pointed it in the direction of one of the Fire demons. If it didn't work, she'd have to hightail it back out the window. A blue light shot out from the gun and latched onto the fire jet of the demon closest to her. The jet stopped its pursuit of the Shadows, paused for a second, and then went out, surprising both Buffy and the Fire demon. "What do ya know?" Buffy said out loud. "It works."  
  
The Fire demon looked stunned. He raised his hands to his chest and flung them out again, but this time only a fireball emerged from his hands. One of the Shadows stopped in his flight toward the outside and returned to fight the Fire demon that she'd disabled. The Fire demon tried to shoot out another fire jet, but again he was only able to come up with a fireball. The Shadow easily dematerialized around it. Then rematerialized and began to struggle in a rather awkward style of hand to hand combat with his previous attacker.  
  
"So that's what's supposed to happen," Buffy said to herself. She could see how the two demons were equally matched and why they didn't generally bother anyone else. They were really rotten fighters when it came to fists. In fact, it seemed more like they were trying to knock each other over.  
  
Since the building fire was already well underway, Buffy did what she should have done the last time she'd fought the Fire demons. She kept near the broken window and covered the departing Shadows, who were now able to put up something of a battle because she was turning off the fire jets of all the Fire demons that came into her path. Eventually, the fire jets came on again. But at least the ray gun was giving the Shadows a fighting chance.  
  
Masichuvio came in through the wall behind her and watched. He gestured for her to leave as the sirens of the fire engines got closer. "Your weapon works," he said, his face looking as impressed as a Shadow's face can. "We are grateful. Go now. Trucks are coming. Police. The Fire demons will not attack again tonight."  
  
"All right," Buffy said. "But I'll be back in a couple of nights. Maybe we can keep them out of that last building."  
  
"Maybe," Masichuvio agreed. If Buffy had known the Shadows better, she would have recognized the sound of hope in his voice.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy felt better about the world as she motored back uptown. Maybe they'd lost the battle. But they might very well win the war for the next building. And what she'd done tonight would put whoever was behind all this on notice. She was feeling pumped.  
  
"It worked!" Buffy announced as she strode into the house.  
  
Willow jumped up at once. She'd been catching up on school work in the diningroom. "It worked?"  
  
Tara and Dawn came in from the kitchen.  
  
"Yep. It was awesome. It stopped the fire jets cold and then all they could shoot out afterwards were these itsy bitsy fireballs. They were nothing in comparison. Of course, they eventually were able to shoot out fire jets again. But it gave the Shadows plenty of time to fight back."  
  
"That must mean there are humans behind this," Tara said. "Witches probably."  
  
"Well, at least this gives us a fighting chance." Buffy hefted the weapon up, then pulled out the diamond and put it in her pocket again. "I only wish we could do it on a larger scale."  
  
"We probably could," Willow said. "But we'd need a whole lot of demons chanting the right spell and at least one of them would have to be old enough and experienced enough to be able to control the full magical powers of the diamond."  
  
"You think Spike could do it?" Buffy asked.  
  
Tara and Willow exchanged glances.  
  
"Well, Spike might be able to help," Willow said. "But I don't know if he's had enough magic experience to really do the controlling."  
  
"Speaking of Spike," Buffy said. "He didn't come home did he?"  
  
"No. Not yet."  
  
"I checked for him at Willy's. But he wasn't there. That little furry guy said he would ask around. He's becoming our mascot. Like a little puppy dog on two legs. I think he's got the hero worship bad for both me and Spike."  
  
"Well, better that than something else," Tara said. "Did you have any dinner?"  
  
"I guess I could go for something," Buffy said. "But I'm really not hungry. I better put this away." She held up the gun and headed for her room. As she walked in, the success of the fight was still upon her. But it all fell away when she opened her closet door and saw one of Spike's shirts hanging there. Suddenly the quiet in the room felt eerie. She touched the red shirt lightly with her hand and then quickly threw the ray gun in the back of the closet and the diamond into one of her shoes.  
  
Tara fed Buffy some leftover meatloaf, which Buffy picked at lightly sitting on the floor in front of the couch. She tired to act involved in the conversations they were having about the television show they were watching. But the excitement of the chase downtown had worn off completely by then. All Buffy could do was listen for the front door. When everyone else decided to turn in, she followed them upstairs, but couldn't get herself to actually climb into bed. She didn't want to be alone in it again, tossing and turning and endlessly listening and reaching for him. Instead, she went back downstairs with a blanket and sat up in front of the television for the rest of the night. At least then she'd know immediately if he came in.  
  
First she watched an old re-run of "Columbo." Then a movie came on about a group of friends who couldn't get their lives together. And that was followed by an endless array of infomercials. Every now and again, Buffy would drop off. But her sleeping was only sporadic.  
  
When Tara came downstairs in the morning, Buffy snapped up immediately. What? What is it?" she asked groggily.  
  
"It's just me," Tara said. "I was wondering if you were making breakfast. I saw your door open. Did you get any sleep last night?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
Tara believed it. Buffy's eyes were heavily ringed with black circles. Her face was long and drawn. "You just rest here. I'll make breakfast. You know, Willow and I don't have any classes again today. We could go to the Magic Box and I could try and come up with a spell that might lead us to Spike."  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"Of course. I know how worried you are. It isn't like him to stay away like this."  
  
"And this time we didn't even have a fight. Maybe after you all head out, I'll try swinging by his crypt again. Maybe then I'll look for that little Nazari. Maybe he heard something."  
  
"That's a good idea. You never know." Tara headed off to the kitchen and began cooking.  
  
"Buffy looks terrible," Willow whispered when she came into the kitchen shortly after.  
  
"I don't think she's slept much in the last two days," Tara said. "And she didn't eat much of the dinner I gave her last night. She can't keep this up. I think she got an adrenaline high from her fight with the Fire demons last night. But I don't think lasted long. I told her I would try to find a spell that would lead us to Spike. You don't have to help me. There must be one that I can do on my own."  
  
"Oh, but I don't mind helping," Willow said. "I think it's OK for me to do magic for something like this."  
  
"No. You let me do it. You can come along and keep me company. If I need help I'll ask you." 


	50. Chapter Fifty - Rescue

CHAPTER FIFTY  
  
Rescue  
  
Jonathan woke up to the sound of Warren snoring. At first he wondered at the noise. Then he remembered where he was and what was happening. Cautiously he peered over toward the other end of the room. Warren was sitting down on a chair with wheels on the bottom. The top of his body was sprawled out over the end of the work bench that Spike was lying on. He had one arm over his captive's shoes and the other over his Molecular Disturber. The remote control was on a small table to his right.  
  
Spike's body wasn't twitching anymore and his eyes were closed. He actually appeared to be sleeping and was breathing, steadily and calmly.  
  
Jonathan stood up slowly, trying to keep his chair from squeaking. Then he approached Warren. His friend's snoring never varied. This was Jonathan's big chance to run. But first he stopped and picked up the remote control device on the small table. The red light over the control buttons was lit, indicating that it was still turned on. Judging from Spike's lack of reaction to it, Jonathan wondered if perhaps the chip's battery was finally spent. Warren had said it was likely to happen. Jonathan turned off the remote anyway, just to be sure. He wondered for a split second how much of Spike's sanity was left. But he didn't have time to find out. He had to get out and get help as soon as possible.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
At the Magic Box, Willow and Tara were conferring over spells, while Anya and Xander stocked shelves. Xander wasn't expected on his job until afternoon that day. They were building a new post office downtown named after some long dead historical figure and they were doing a small ground breaking ceremony before the actual digging crews came in.  
  
When Jonathan charged in looking all disheveled, the Scoobies stopped what they were doing to look at him. "You've got to come. Warren's lost his mind," Jonathan gasped. "That diamond we stole, Spike said there was a curse on it."  
  
"You've seen Spike?" Xander asked, putting down the book he'd been placing on a shelf and coming forward.  
  
"Warren's got him," Jonathan said.  
  
"You're the one who stole the diamond?" Willow asked, standing up slowly.  
  
"Well, sort of. It was Warren really." He looked from Xander to Willow and back again as they advanced toward him. Xander's attitude was all concern, but there was something menacing in Willow's steps. "Spike said the diamond puts this curse on humans who own it," Jonathan continued. "That it drives them insane."  
  
"Then you're the one who shot Tara," Willow said, her eyes darkening. "You could have killed her."  
  
Jonathan saw Willow's eyes change. He knew magic and he could see the potential danger in Willow's black eyes.  
  
Xander realized the danger too. He pushed Willow aside, hoping Tara would take control of her. "You talk to me," Xander said, trying to sound more macho than he felt at that point. "Now, why do you have Spike?"  
  
"Warren wanted to get his revenge on him for taking the diamond. I wanted to see if we could make a trade with the Slayer. You know, get her to stay out of our way while we took over Sunnydale." He laughed nervously. "But Warren was bent on revenge."  
  
"What have you done to him?" It was Willow again, her voice sounding very threatening.  
  
"Willow, please," Tara said, trying to take hold of her lover's hands and turn her away from their unwanted visitor.  
  
"I didn't do anything to him," Jonathan said, starting to get scared. "It was Warren. It was all Warren! We found out about Spike's chip, see? And Warren ran all these diagnostics to see what it did. And he found out. And then he made this remote control so he could turn the pain on in Spike's head. And he ran it constantly for the last two days, trying to question him about the diamond. But he was also thinking he could burn his brain out and turn him into a motorized zombie. Only now I think the battery in the chip ran out, so Spike's not in pain anymore. But he's unconscious or sleeping or something. I didn't have time to check. I just had to get away before Warren woke up, so he wouldn't use his Molecular Disturber on me."  
  
"And what the hell is that?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'm not sure actually. But Warren says it scatters your molecules around so you go poof. If we go in there, he'll probably try and use it on us."  
  
"Doesn't sound like something I want to go against," Xander said. "But I guess we don't have a choice. I've got the car outside. Let's mount up."  
  
"I'll call Buffy," Anya said, rushing to the back of the shop.  
  
"It was all Warren, I swear," Jonathan babbled. "I never wanted to do this. I just thought we'd take over Sunnydale or something fun like that. Is there any chance that now that the diamond is gone that Warren will recover?"  
  
"No," Willow said. "He'll just get worse and worse till his brain becomes pudding and he dies." Her tone of voice told everyone that that would be just fine with her.  
  
"Willow, here's your jacket," Tara said. "Now, just calm down. We've got to be careful about how we rescue Spike. We don't Warren to hurt him."  
  
"Oh, I don't think he can hurt him anymore," Jonathan said. "Not if the chip's battery has run down. It wasn't meant to run constantly the way Warren was running it. Without the chip, Warren doesn't have any hold over him."  
  
"He can still be staked," Willow said. "He better be all right."  
  
Jonathan swallowed hard. He decided not to tell them that Spike had been babbling incoherently the night before. Maybe he could make his escape from the Scoobies before they found out about Spike's real condition.  
  
Anya came running with a couple of long sheets of material thrown over one of her arms. "Buffy doesn't seem to be home. I found these in the back." She held up the heavy pieces of cloth. They were splattered with light blue paint. "We used them as drop clothes recently when you repainted the kitchenette, remember? We can use them to cover Spike so the sun won't zap him."  
  
"Let's go," Xander said, leading the way.  
  
Jonathan gave Xander directions in the car and led the way to Warren's basement door. Then he tried to sneak away as Xander tried to open it.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," Willow said, catching Jonathan by the collar. "I'm not through with you.  
  
"The door's locked," Xander said. "A bad sign."  
  
"That means Warren's up and on the alert," Jonathan said. "But we can break the door down. It's a very flimsy lock. I've been telling him that we really needed to . . ."  
  
This time is was Xander who took Jonathan by the collar. "Forget the speech. You're gonna to help me break this door down."  
  
"Sure," Jonathan said. "Anything to help.  
  
The two men ran at the door with Xander giving the signal. Jonathan was right. The lock was flimsy. They had no trouble breaking in. Unfortunately, as soon as the door flew open, they saw Warren in the middle of the basement, his Molecular Disturber at the ready.  
  
"Don't move," Warren commanded, "Or I'll zap you all to kingdom come."  
  
"Enough of this foolishness," Willow said, pushing Xander out of the way. She waved her right hand and the ray gun pulled itself out of Warren's grasp. Then she waved again and Warren himself went flying, hard, against the cement wall of the cellar. He tried to recover and run at them. But Willow just waved again. This time he hit the wall so hard that he slid down to the floor unconscious.  
  
"Willow!" Tara said. "You could have killed him."  
  
"He's lucky that's all I did," Willow replied. She moved her hand up into a fist and brought it down heavily into her other hand, magically causing the Molecular Disturber to smash into pieces.  
  
Jonathan's mouth fell open. Willow was definitely not the geek she used to be in high school. She was now one real dangerous witch.  
  
Xander and Tara ran to Spike.  
  
"Do you have keys to these locks?" Xander asked, referring to the locks that held the chains over Spike's arms and legs.  
  
"Yes," Jonathan answered. "I think I know where they are." He rummaged through a nearby drawer.  
  
"Spike?" Tara called, patting the vampire's face gently. "Do you hear me?"  
  
"How is he?" Willow asked.  
  
"Well, he's breathing. But I'm not sure if that's good or bad or neutral."  
  
"I think it's neutral," Xander answered, taking a ring of keys from Jonathan. "He doesn't really need to breath. But I think it's a force of habit. At least it means he's not a totally dead body. At least, not anymore than usual."  
  
"Spike?" Tara repeated again. "Can you hear me? Spike?" This time the patting of his cheek seemed to get a vague reaction. His head turned slightly toward her. "Spike? Wake up! It's me, Tara. We've come to rescue you. How are you feeling? Can you talk?" She got a groan this time.  
  
Xander finished unlocking the chains and untying the leather bonds that had held Spike. By then, the vampire was starting to moan a bit more. But he still hadn't opened his eyes.  
  
"I wish there was some kind of hospital or something we could take him to," Tara said.  
  
"Well," Xander said, "Giles is the only one I know who could help him. But he's not here. So, I guess we'll just have to take him to Buffy's and hope that he improves with a little rest."  
  
"We could try calling Giles," Tara suggested.  
  
"Or use some magic," Willow said. "Remember how I contacted Buffy's mind last year when she went into shock over Glory taking Dawn? I could do the same with Spike and . . ."  
  
"No!" Tara said, loudly. "You've done enough magic for one day! I'll do it. I'm not as powerful as you are, but I think I can do it. It is probably the best way. If they've been running that chip in his head for two days, there's no telling what state his sanity is in."  
  
"Could he be dangerous?" Xander asked. Without a functioning chip, Spike was now a full fledged vampire again. Xander had been getting to the point where he trusted Spike. But what if he'd gone crazy? What would that mean?  
  
As if to answer the question, Spike moaned again. "Where am I?" he asked, in a soft voice.  
  
"You're with us," Tara said. "You're all right now."  
  
With great difficulty Spike opened his blue eyes and tried to focus them on Tara's face. "Excuse me, but do I know you?" he asked properly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm Tara. And this is Willow. And that's Xander and Anya. Don't you remember us?"  
  
Spike closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them. "No. I'm so sorry, but I don't. Where is this place?" He tried to sit up but the change in position made his head hurt. "Ooh. I have the most ghastly headache."  
  
"Well," Anya said, "at least he doesn't sound dangerous."  
  
"His whole tone sounds a different," Willow said. "I expected him to sit up and start yelling something like, `Bloody hell!' right away."  
  
"No gentleman would use that sort of language in front of a lady," Spike said.  
  
Tara and Xander exchanged glances. It was as if Spike had somehow disappeared and a stranger was now in his body.  
  
"Hey you," Willow said, waving at Jonathan. "Did you guys do any sort of mind probe on him or something?"  
  
"No, I promise. Warren wasn't gonna do that till later."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't actually say his mind is gone," Xander said, "But he does sound like someone else. Let's get him out of here and over to Buffy's. I'm thinking she's gonna wanna see him as soon as possible. And the more I hear him talk, the more I think Tara should do that little mind spell on him."  
  
"I think I know what's wrong with him," Tara said. "They talked about stuff like this in my psych class."  
  
"Where are we going?" Spike asked, as Xander tried to pull him off the table. "Have you seen my glasses anywhere?"  
  
"Uh, you don't have any glasses," Xander said. "And we're going to Buffy's."  
  
Spike accepted Xander's help down and leaned heavily on him as they started for the door. "Somebody mentioned a Buffy . . . last night. Or maybe it was the night before. Can't remember much of anything anymore. I tried to tell the chap that I wasn't acquainted with her, but they didn't seem to believe me. You say that I know all of you?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Anya answered, throwing the drop clothes over Spike. "We've all known each other for several years now."  
  
"And may I ask what these things are for?" Spike said, making a face at the unsavory pieces of material covering him.  
  
"Oh, they're just a protection from the sun," Anya said. "We wouldn't want you to get too much sun now would we?"  
  
"Jonathan," Xander said, "You open the back door of the car so we can get him in quickly."  
  
"Yes, right away."  
  
Tara and Willow came out of the basement last, at a comfortable distance from the others.  
  
"I can't believe it. You almost killed him," Tara said, referring to Willow's magical smashing of Warren against the wall.  
  
"It's only a matter of time before his mind turns to pudding from the curse anyway," Willow answered with a wave of her hand.  
  
"Even so. Willow, you shouldn't do that!"  
  
Neither one of them noticed that they were being watched from behind a thick privet hedge. It was Doc. He was still following Tara around, trying to find an opening when he might take the next step in his revenge. He waited till the Scoobies drove away. Then he went into the basement where he found Warren just starting to come to.  
  
"So," Doc said, to the slowly rousing Warren, "Did the witch curse you with madness? Or was it somebody else? It sounded as if her friend would be very unhappy with her if she'd accidentally killed you. So maybe that's exactly what we should let her think. It may not get me the reaction I want quite yet. But it will work things along. Let's see. How will we do it? Continued bashing against the wall perhaps?" 


	51. Chapter Fifty-One - Escape into William

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE  
  
Escape into William  
  
"All right, what is the last thing you remember?" Tara asked. She and Spike were sitting on the couch, facing each other. The other three were milling about the room, wishing they could do more. Buffy still wasn't home and they were all dreading telling her what had happened.  
  
"The last thing I remember," Spike repeated. "I guess, I was in my mother's study, writing. Which is often my habit first thing in the morning, right after the servants have cleared away the breakfast things."  
  
"The servants?" Xander asked.  
  
"Of course," Spike answered. "My father was a gentleman and my mother has worked very diligently to keep things in that same respectable state since his death. It has been difficult for her. But she has acted quite nobly."  
  
"I'm sure," Tara said, exchanging glances with the others. "What year do you think it is?"  
  
"Year? Why it's 1880 of course. You'll excuse me but you aren't British, are you?"  
  
"No," Tara answered. "We're American."  
  
"Oh, well that explains quite a lot. Your style of dress, for instance. Though I don't have my glasses on right now, I can tell that you ladies are wearing clothing that is . . . well, if you'll excuse me, your outfits would not be considered proper attire in London society. But I've heard all about you bloomer girls in the states."  
  
"Yes, that's right," Tara said. "And in fact, that's where you are right now. In the United States . . . of America."  
  
Spike opened and closed his mouth weakly. "How could that be? I . . . I don't remember taking an ocean trip."  
  
"Well, you've been sick. Very sick."  
  
"Oh, I can believe that. I should never have thought I would make an ocean crossing well. Entirely too much rolling about."  
  
"Well, you're in America. And you were very sick and you lost your memory."  
  
"And that strange contraption that we rode in over here. We don't have anything like that in London."  
  
"It's a new invention. Relatively new anyway. It's all the rage here. Could you just give me a minute, Spike? I want to talk to the others."  
  
"Now. excuse me . . . But you keep referring to me as this Spike chap. Are you absolutely sure that we're acquainted?"  
  
"Oh, yes. That's just a nickname you use."  
  
"A nickname?" Spike's mouth twisted into an expression of distaste. "Was I the one who chose it? I mean, it sounds so low and common. Something a street ruffian might choose."  
  
"That's always been my thought exactly," Xander said.  
  
Tara shot Xander a dirty look and turned back to Spike. "Well, what would you like us to call you?"  
  
"By my Christian name of course, William. It was my father's name as well. And I try to do him proud."  
  
"I'm sure," Tara said. She jumped off the couch and gathered her friends toward the kitchen. "I need you all to leave us alone for a while," she told them. "I'm pretty sure I know what's happened to him. But I want to see if I can shake him out of it."  
  
"Are you positive you don't need my help?" Willow asked.  
  
"No. I can do it," Tara insisted. "You stay out here till I call you. If Buffy walks in while I'm doing this, try and hold her back till I'm done."  
  
"We will," Xander said.  
  
Tara went back into the livingroom and sat down once again on the couch. "Now, William. I've got this little meditation I want to try. It might help to clear up your headache and return your memory."  
  
"Meditation? You mean such as the mystics do? I've heard a little about Eastern spiritualism. But I've never put much store into it. Mother, however, does occasionally consult the tarot cards."  
  
"Yes, this is like that in a way. It's very mystical. And you'll probably feel as if you're going into a kind of trance. Now, close your eyes."  
  
William did as he was told and Tara performed an incantation to put them both into a trancelike state. The next thing she knew her spirit seemed to be walking in a darkened place, full of mist. The mist cleared and she realized she was in the Sunnydale cemetery. She walked ahead and came to Spike's crypt. The door was closed and she tried to open it. But a man stepped in front of her. He didn't threaten, but he made it very clear that he wasn't going to allow her to go any further. It was Spike, but it wasn't Spike. He had light brown curly hair and glasses. And he wore a fussy suit from an earlier age.  
  
"No," the man said, gently but firmly, "I can't let you go in there. It's dangerous. A vampire is in there."  
  
From behind the crypt door Tara heard cries of agony, then full screams of pain. "You're protecting him from the pain, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes," the man said, "and I'm protecting you as well. You see, this way no one can get hurt . . . or be used. The chip doesn't work anymore now, you know."  
  
"I know. You're William, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. And I will stand guard here as long as I must."  
  
Another horrible cry sounded from behind the crypt door, followed by sobbing and mumbling that she couldn't make out. The timbre of the voice sounded more like the Spike Tara knew. William's accent was finer, more educated. "But, William, you are Spike, aren't you."  
  
"Yes. Part of him. I was him. He doesn't like to be me anymore. But I have a job to do now, for all of you."  
  
"Then I'll let you get back to what you were doing," Tara said. "We'll talk again later." And she walked away from the crypt through the mist and back into reality. With another incantation, she brought William back to himself as well. "How do you feel?" she asked the awakening vampire.  
  
"Better . . . maybe. I'm not sure yet. The pain in my head is gone, though."  
  
"That's a good first step. You wait here for a minute." Tara left William to gather himself while she returned to the anxious group in the kitchen.  
  
"Well?" Xander asked.  
  
"It's what I thought. We studied this in psych class last year. Spike's been through some really horrible pain." She shot a nasty look at Jonathan. "You guys really hurt him."  
  
"It wasn't me, it was Warren," Jonathan said. "I tried to stop him."  
  
"Well, you didn't try hard enough. He was in a lot of pain. And to protect his sanity, he did what a lot of people do in that kind of situation, he disassociated from it. He blocked it off in a separate part of his mind and went somewhere else. Somewhere that he thought would be safe, not only from Warren and his sicko friend here, but also into a personality that he knew couldn't be used against Buffy or the rest of us. You've heard of people with multiple personalities, right? They invent alter egos to take over for them when they can't handle something. Well, Spike did that. Only he didn't have to invent someone. He used the personality of the person he used to be before he became a vampire. That's William, from 1880." She pointed toward the livingroom. "That's who Spike was before. Who he is now."  
  
"That?" Xander asked in amazement. "That's who Spike used to be?"  
  
"Yes. And he's sort of standing guard between Spike and the pain, and what he fears he might do with the chip not working anymore."  
  
Suddenly they heard the sound of the front door opening.  
  
"Hello? Xander? I saw your car outside. Anya? Anybody?"  
  
"Holy shit," Willow said under her breath. "It's Buffy."  
  
William got to his feet nervously as the blond lady entered the livingroom. He'd been ignoring the conventions badly since he'd come to himself. Despite the strange attire of these American women, his mother had brought him up to always rise when a lady entered a room. But she'd never prepared him for what happened next.  
  
As soon as Buffy saw her lover standing apparently well in front of the couch, she dashed up to him and immediately threw her arms around him and kissed him, hard.  
  
The feeling wasn't unpleasant to William, her lips were warm and hungry. Her body was rubbing provocatively against his. But his mother had also taught him never to take advantage of a lady. And obviously this lady was mistaken as to who he was. He pulled her arms from around his neck and gently nudged her away. His face was full of embarrassment. "You . . . you must have me mixed up with someone else," he stuttered.  
  
"Spike," Buffy said, "What are you talking about? Where have you been for the last two days? I've been crazy with worry. I should stake you where you stand. But I'm just so happy to have you home." She threw her arms around him again and buried her face against his chest.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss," William said, "but I really don't think we've been properly introduced."  
  
Buffy pulled back and looked at Spike. He looked like the same man. And yet something was different. He didn't sound like himself. And she expected more of a physical reaction from him than she'd gotten thus far.  
  
"Buffy," Willow said, cautiously leading the troops back into the livingroom. "You're home. We found Spike, as you see . . . I mean, uh, William."  
  
"Oh," William said, managing a small smile, "so you're the Buffy I've been hearing so much about."  
  
Buffy looked hard at her lover. His familiar blue eyes didn't seem to be jesting. Did he have amnesia or something? She turned to her friends. "What's going on here?"  
  
Xander crossed the room to Buffy and pulled her toward the kitchen. "Spike has been through a lot in the last few days. I think we should talk about it out here."  
  
"We'll be right back," Tara said to William.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, William shuffled his feet and sat back down. He was having a simply beastly day.  
  
Tara was the one who took over in the kitchen. She tried to explain everything that had happened as calmly as possible. That is, until she saw the fury in Buffy's eyes as she caught sight of Jonathan. He was trying to scrunch down as small as possible behind Xander. Buffy's muscles tightened as if it was all she could do to keep herself from killing the little pipsqueak. As a result, Tara started to speed up her story to the part where she'd taken her magical trip into William's mind.  
  
"He's still in shock right now," Tara finally said. "My first intention was to try and bring him back to himself. But then I realized that he needs to work through all the pain from the last two days. And then he's got to face his fears about the chip not working anymore. I think he's afraid he'll hurt someone and that's another reason why he's chosen such an obviously gentle soul to sub for him while he's away."  
  
"How long is this gonna last?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Who can say? It could be a couple of days, it could be months. But I think at some point he will come out of it. He's really taking a lot of the things he's seeing very nonchalantly . . . like Xander's car and our style of dress. So some of Spike's conscious understanding of the passage of time is seeping into this persona of William. A real person zapped through time from 1880 would have trouble accepting things so readily. It's really a very ingenious thing that he's done. It may have saved his sanity."  
  
"In the meantime," Willow said, "we'll all try and make him comfy, right? He doesn't know any of us anymore, so we'll have to take it slow."  
  
Buffy shot another dangerous look at Jonathan. "What do we do with him?" she asked in a low voice.  
  
"I'll keep an eye on him," Xander said. "That way, we'll know he hasn't gone back to his pal Warren."  
  
"I won't go back, I promise," Jonathan said.  
  
"We'll just make sure of that," Buffy said.  
  
"I sure don't envy you," Anya said. "Spike not only doesn't know who he is, he doesn't know what he is either. We had trouble getting him in the car on the way over here. As soon as the sun hit the blankets we'd brought for him, he began to smoke and it totally freaked him out. Luckily he's easy to subdue in his present state. He doesn't seem to realize he has super strength. I told him he had a severe allergy to the sun and that it was life threatening. He looked at me questioningly, which of course I don't blame him. But at least that seemed to calm him down and we were able to get him into the car. I think you're going to have a hard time getting him to drink blood."  
  
"Whatever it takes," Buffy said, glancing out into the livingroom at the confused man who both was, and wasn't her lover. Spike had been there for her when she'd been recovering from her resurrection. This time it was her turn to be there for him. 


	52. Chapter Fifty-Two - Adjustments

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO  
  
Adjustments  
  
  
  
As it turned out, Willow was the one who took things in hand. She had the advantage over Buffy of not being so emotionally involved. The Slayer was still trying hard to take in what had happened to her boyfriend.  
  
After Xander and Anya left for their respective day jobs, Willow's first act was to get William fed. He was obviously weak and they were sure he'd had no nourishment in at least two days. Willow set Buffy to making him a sandwich. Then she pulled William in from the livingroom. Tara and Buffy stood back by the refrigerator and let Willow be in charge.  
  
"Now," Willow said, putting on a commanding voice. William had mentioned his mother so many times since he'd been rescued that she was pretty sure he had respect for female authority. "As we've said, you've been very sick and the first thing we need to do is get you to eat. Buffy has made a nice sandwich for you. But there's one thing more you have to have. As you've seen, you have a very bad allergy to the sun. And you've lost your memory. So, the doctor has prescribed a very special drink for you, full of special vitamins and medicines that you have to drink at every meal. No exceptions." She pulled out a chair for him at the counter island and Buffy slid the ham sandwich in front of him. William sat down as Willow went to the fridge and pulled out a bag of blood. "Buffy, could you get him his mug?"  
  
Buffy handed her the smiley face mug that had become Spike's official mug.  
  
"Thank you," Willow said. As she poured, she wondered if this would go down easier cold or warm. Usually Spike liked it warm, but in his present state, who knew? "OK," she said. "I don't know whether you'll like this cold or warm. The doctor said you could have it either way. Try it and see."  
  
William took the mug and peered in at its contents. He made a face as he saw the red liquid lap softly at the sides, leaving a very unappetizing film. "What is this?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
"A special high vitamin drink."  
  
"And may I ask what kind of doctor you conferred with?"  
  
"A specialist. You've got a very bad allergy, you see. It's very rare and as you've seen it's very dangerous. You've absolutely got to stay out of the sun."  
  
"Absolutely," Tara agreed.  
  
"Oh, yes!" Buffy chimed in."  
  
"But you can feel free to go out at night," Willow said. "Although since you don't know our country and you've been sick, it might be better if you didn't go out alone. Now, drink your medicine."  
  
William made another face and took a tentative sip. Then he made an even bigger face. "I can't drink this," he said, shoving it back at Willow.  
  
"You will drink it and you will finish it. Maybe, though, we could try it warmed up. Uh, Buff?" Willow handed the mug off to Buffy. "Maybe you know best how warm it should be."  
  
"Sure," Buffy said.  
  
While the blood was warming, William stared longingly at the sandwich.  
  
"You can't have that until you drink your medicine," Willow said.  
  
William put on the face of a sad little boy as he took back the mug. He closed his eyes tight and took another sip. He made another grimace as he swallowed, "It's better this way. But, still . . ."  
  
"Don't talk. Drink," Willow commanded.  
  
William put on another sad little boy expression and did as he was told, even though he seemed to be on the edge of gagging several times.  
  
"That's a good boy," Willow said as he finally drained the last drop. "Now, you can have your sandwich."  
  
"Oh, thank you," William said gratefully. "I hate to bother you. But could I possibly have a spot of tea to go with it?"  
  
"Of course," Willow said. She motioned to Tara to take care of that.  
  
While William was eating, the ladies retired to the livingroom.  
  
"Well, that wasn't too bad," Tara said.  
  
"Not at all," Willow said. "I think we can handle this."  
  
"You mean you can," Buffy said. "I was rather useless in there."  
  
"It'll get easier," Willow said.  
  
"He may even start to like the blood after a while," Tara said. "And when that happens, it'll mean that he's starting to return to himself."  
  
The rest of the day went pretty easily. William requested a change of clothing, but Willow explained that his luggage had been lost during the ocean crossing. "What you're wearing now," she said "are some American clothes belonging to a friend of Buffy's. I'm sure she can bring the rest of his things down to you."  
  
Buffy brought the rest of the items that Spike kept in her room. But William didn't seem particularly happy about the selection. He didn't say anything because he considered it very nice of them to lend him clothes. But he really wished he had something more to his taste.  
  
In the early afternoon, they introduced him to the "new American invention" of television. But William seemed much more interested in Buffy's mom's books. Joyce had had an artistic soul and her books were a nicely rounded collection of literature and poetry with several art books thrown in as well. William pulled several out and tried to read them. But he said that being without his glasses made reading difficult.  
  
Finally, they suggested he take a nap because he looked so tired. Buffy said he could sleep in her room, but he categorically refused.  
  
"Oh, no!" William said, seemingly horrified. "I could never under any circumstances invade the privacy of a lady's room. I will be quite content if you will allow me instead to rest on your chaise."  
  
Buffy agreed, but William didn't notice the expression of loss on her face. Tara did, though. As Willow got him settled in with a couple of pillows and a light blanket, Tara pulled Buffy back under the stairs.  
  
"This is going to be very hard for you, isn't it?" Tara asked. "Having him home, but not having him. If you know what I mean."  
  
Buffy's eyes were filled with hurt. "He acts like a stranger to me. Willow seems to have more of a connection with him than I do."  
  
"She's just good at being bossy." Tara put her hand comfortingly on her friend's shoulder. "It'll get better, Buffy. I know it will."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
When Dawn and Zachary came in from school for their daily study and snack, William was still snoozing on the couch.  
  
"Hello!" Dawn called at the door, "I'm home. Zack's here too. Anybody here?" Before she was even able to shrug out of her jacket, the grownups were upon her, pulling her off into the kitchen.  
  
"Shhh. He's sleeping," Willow said.  
  
"Who's sleeping?" Dawn asked trying to see behind her. Unfortunately, Tara's head was in the way.  
  
"It's Spike," Willow said. "Only it's not Spike." And she launched into the story they'd agreed on giving Zachary. "You see. Spike's had an accident. And the shock of it has caused him to lose his memory. He now thinks he's a whole lot younger, just out of school from the U.K. And he doesn't know any of us."  
  
"Yeah," Tara said. "And sometimes he can't even remember what year it is."  
  
"What kind of accident was he in?" Zachary asked.  
  
"A car crash," Willow answered. "Head trauma. So he also has a little trouble with his eyesight. He keeps thinking he's missing his glasses because his vision is fuzzy. But of course he doesn't remember that he doesn't need glasses."  
  
"That sounds terrible," Zachary said.  
  
"Yes," Tara agreed. "Yes, it is."  
  
"The doctor told us that they don't know when his memory will return. So, till it does, please try and humor him as much as possible."  
  
"Of course," Zachary said. "No problem."  
  
"He's resting now. So try and be a quiet."  
  
"Oh, yeah, of course."  
  
Zachary had obviously bought this entire story. Dawn, however, had not. "Zack," she said, looking at her sister and housemates suspiciously, "why don't you go in and set up. I'll get the snacks."  
  
"Sure." Zachary took Dawn's books and headed off for the diningroom.  
  
"So," Dawn said, "what's going on? Where did you find Spike? And what's really wrong with him?"  
  
Buffy took up the narrative this time. She thought it best that Dawn should hear it from her. "So," she concluded, "He wants us to call him William. And we're going to have to do our best to make him comfortable until his memory returns."  
  
Suddenly the ladies heard male laughter coming from the diningroom. They exchanged surprised expressions and immediately ran out. Dawn was well in the lead with Buffy not far behind. They found Zachary and William sitting companionably side by side at the dining table. Evidently they'd been discussing the Dickens book that Zachary was carrying, "David Copperfield."  
  
Buffy wondered vaguely if there was anything funny about "David Copperfield."  
  
"What are you two talking about," Dawn asked, taking her usual seat at the head of the table, in the chair nearest the kitchen.  
  
"Just aspects of Dickens," Zachary said. "Spike says he's read all of his works."  
  
"Oh, yes," William said. "All of them. Although I've always been of the opinion that they were written more for the masses. Especially that shorter work of his, 'A Christmas Carol.' Still there are good things to be found within. And please young man, call me William."  
  
"OK. Be glad to. You can call me Zack."  
  
William spent the better part of the next two hours sitting with Dawn and her boyfriend, discussing their school work and various writers that he was interested in. As soon as Zachary left for home, Dawn pulled Buffy upstairs to tell her a few tidbits.  
  
"Spike says he writes poetry," Dawn told her sister.  
  
"You're joking," Buffy said.  
  
"No. Really. He recited some for us. I mean it was pretty bad. But Zachary said he would read him the piece he was working on for class tomorrow."  
  
"Spike . . . a poet?" Buffy repeated. It was totally beyond her imaging.  
  
"And you should have seen his face while he was reciting. He was really into it. It was all this romantic stuff with all these really long words."  
  
"I can't see it."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I sort of can. You've got to admit Spike has always been a romantic."  
  
Buffy remembered Spike talking to her in his crypt shortly after she'd returned from the dead. How he'd said that he saved her every night in his imagination. That was kind of poetic, even if it didn't rhyme.  
  
"I'm guessing that Spike doesn't let most people see his poetic side much," Dawn continued. "Cos he's always trying to convince people he's the big bad."  
  
So, Buffy thought, his vampire side tries to keep it hidden. But the poet is still part of the man he was. And it slips out occasionally when Spike shows his romantic side.  
  
The rest of the night, however, was not so poetic. Willow continued to dominate William. She once again made him drink his "medicine." And ordered him to join everyone in front of the television as well. Buffy didn't even get to sit next to him. She thought about going patrolling but decided she wanted to stay close to home on his first night back. She suspected, though, that he really wouldn't have missed her even if she had been gone. He hardly glanced in her direction all evening.  
  
As Willow and Tara started up to bed, Buffy told them that the next evening she would have to go down to Lindemann Avenue to watch over the last standing building. She'd promised the Shadows. "I could really use your help," Buffy said. "I'm going to call Xander and Anya about it tomorrow. With Spike out of commission, I can really use your backup."  
  
"Of course," Willow said. "You know we'll help."  
  
"What about me?" Dawn asked, coming up from behind.  
  
"You'll stay here with William."  
  
"Will he be babysitting me? Or will I be babysitting him?"  
  
"A little of both, I think," Buffy answered. "Now get to bed." She turned back to Tara and Willow. "You guys have class tomorrow too, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Tara said. But I could miss it if you think you'll need help with William."  
  
"No. I'll be fine," Buffy said. Actually, she preferred being alone with him. Maybe if they spent some time together, it would strike a spark in his memory.  
  
"Okey doke," Willow said. And the three ladies went upstairs.  
  
Buffy wandered back toward the livingroom. William was carefully arranging the sheets that Tara had given him on the couch. As a final touch, he folded his blanket at what would be the foot of his bed. He was planning to sleep in his clothes because since Spike never slept in pajamas, they didn't have anything that would fit him. Though Spike might sleep in the nude, William obviously didn't.  
  
"Is everything all right?" Buffy asked.  
  
William jumped. He'd been lost in thought over a new composition that he planned to show young Zachary the next day. He had been under the impression that all the ladies had gone up to their respective boudoirs. He turned toward Buffy, his face flushed.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to startle you."  
  
"Quite all right," he said. "My mind was just somewhere else."  
  
"I just thought maybe you'd want something."  
  
"No. Thank you ever so much. I have everything that I might require."  
  
"Good," Buffy said. Then she ran out of things to say and just stood there awkwardly.  
  
William looked at her with puzzlement. There was obviously something he was missing and he couldn't tell what it was. Perhaps the young lady was waiting for him to express his gratitude. Of course. He was completely forgetting his manners. "I want to thank you, very kindly, for the wonderful hospitality that you and yours have bestowed on me," he said with a little bow.  
  
For some reason, William's bow reminded Buffy of the little Nazari. "You're very welcome," Buffy said. "How do you think you're getting along? Are you feeling any better?"  
  
Oh, William thought. She's concerned for my well being. She's a most considerate hostess. "I am feeling much better. I haven't exactly enjoyed taking that strange medicine the doctor prescribed, but Miss Willow has been right in insisting I take it. I think it has made me feel a good deal better."  
  
"Good. And you've . . . been getting along with everybody?" Buffy brought her hands together and knotted her fingers nervously. She had an urge to grab him and throw him down on the couch. But she knew that was something that would give William a heart attack. That is, if he had a beating heart. Funny how his non-beating heart was one of the things that his subconscious mind was telling him not to pay any attention to.  
  
"Everyone has been first rate with me, thank you," William said, with another little bow. He was starting to feel the pull between them and it embarrassed him. Like Buffy's sudden appearance in the doorway, it startled him. "I, uh, especially enjoyed the company of your sister and her friend Zachary. He's a first rate young man. If you'll forgive me, he rather reminds me of myself at that age."  
  
Buffy's eyebrows took a trip up to her forehead. William thought he and Zachary were alike? It made sense. They certainly seemed drawn to each other that afternoon. But always before Spike had treated Zachary in a rather belittling manner. Was it just Spike's vampire side showing animosity to his nerdy side?  
  
Silence feel between them again. Buffy shifted her feet. And William squinted, trying to see her more clearly.  
  
"Well, I should let you get some sleep," Buffy said at last. "If you need anything, just call."  
  
"I will."  
  
And she departed to her lonely bedroom, leaving William to wonder. 


	53. Chapter Fifty-Three - The Last Leaf

Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire characters belong exclusively to Mutant Enemy and Fox. I am borrowing them only. The characters and story of "The Last Leaf" belong to O.Henry's heirs. I am only paying tribute to them and him.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE  
  
The Last Leaf  
  
  
  
The next morning, William was up with everyone else at breakfast. He asked polite questions about Willow and Tara at school and told Dawn that he looked forward to helping her and Zachary with their homework again that afternoon. "The only thing is," he said, "I really do need glasses to see more properly."  
  
"That's no problem," Dawn said. "After dark, you and Zack and I can go out to the drug store. They have glasses there of various types. As long as you don't need anything special, we should be able to find something that will help."  
  
"Oh, could we?" William asked, his blue eyes lighting up. "I would so like to read some of your mother's books. Such a beautiful collection she has. And as much as I'm sure I will enjoy hearing the narrative poem that Zachary's is working on for composition, I would dearly love to see it written."  
  
"Don't worry," Dawn said, "we'll fix you up."  
  
"Just don't forget that dinner is early tonight," Tara reminded. "You'll have to go afterward."  
  
"Can Zachary stay for dinner?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Of course," Tara answered. "That is, if it's all right with Buffy."  
  
"Sure," Buffy said.  
  
"Except in that case. . ." Willow said, "I think it might be better if William had his medicine out here in the kitchen before dinner."  
  
"You think?" William asked.  
  
"Well, to be honest, you make a lot of faces when you drink it."  
  
"And you don't want me to frighten young Zachary. Of course, you're completely right, Miss Willow," William said.  
  
"And please stop calling me 'Miss.' Just Willow is fine."  
  
"As you like."  
  
"What are you going to do today, Buffy?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy looked up from her toast a little sheepishly. "I, uh, thought William and I might take some time to get to know each other better."  
  
"Oh, that's nice," Dawn said, with a glint in her eyes. She snuck a look at William, but he almost had his head down in his plate. Was that embarrassment she saw on his face? Now there was an expression she didn't see much of on Spike.  
  
"Dawn," Buffy said, "It sounds like Zachary has that big composition project finished. How about you?"  
  
Dawn immediately pulled in and did her non-communicative teenager number. "Uh, well. It's coming along. I'm just not as quick as Zack."  
  
"What's it about?"  
  
"Well, uh . . ."  
  
"You haven't even started it yet, have you?"  
  
"Not exactly. But I'm working on it."  
  
"Maybe I can help," William offered.  
  
"Oh, you don't have to."  
  
"But I would love to. Please."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea," Buffy said. "That can be your project for tonight . . . while the rest of us are downtown."  
  
Dawn sighed deeply. "All right."  
  
"You're going somewhere?" William asked. "A social event?"  
  
"No. More like work," Buffy said.  
  
"You work?" This seemed strange to William. He came from a time when women didn't hold jobs. Young ladies occasionally went to finishing schools. And there were a few places of higher learning for women, though not many. So, he didn't think it was strange that Willow and Tara were still in school. But a "lady" in 1880 did not work. Only those who belonged to the lower classes took part in such activities. And then, they were almost always in the area of menial labor. Except, of course, for the few ladies who wrote books. William thought very highly of women writers. His mother kept a journal and wrote poetry as he did. "What kind of work do you do?" he asked.  
  
Buffy thought quickly. She didn't want to explain too much about slaying to Spike's alter ego. Although, it would come up sooner or later depending how long he stayed like this. "Well, it's a kind of like social work. There's this group of people downtown that we're all trying to help. Isn't that right?" She turned to Willow.  
  
"Oh, yes, that's right," Willow agreed immediately.  
  
"Ah, you mean charity work?" Now that was something that ladies from the upper classes often did in William's time. He could relate to this. "Quite commendable," he said with an appreciative nod.  
  
"Yes, quite," Tara said, a slight smile on her face.  
  
After everyone else left the house, Buffy and William found they had very little to say to each other. But still, their silence held a thousand unspoken feelings. William was becoming more aware of the pull between them. But he was determined not to show it. It wouldn't do after all for him to make advances on his hostess. And besides, they were only very slightly acquainted. Instead, he asked if Buffy might read to him from some of her mother's books.  
  
Buffy thought it a strange request at first. But then she reminded herself that William came from a point in history when they considered reading a major pastime. He chose a hard covered volume of short stories written by some writer that she had only vaguely heard of.  
  
"I'm not sure if I've read any of this fellow's work," William said. "But the name is familiar to me somehow. O. Henry. It's a pen name I believe."  
  
"I read a story or two of his in school," Buffy said.  
  
The two of them sat comfortably in the livingroom and Buffy read story after story to him. It was a romantic collection, full of proper gentlemen, poor shop girls, and ironic endings.  
  
"His work has certain similarities to Dickens," William said. "They both deal with the common folk for the most part."  
  
Buffy just nodded. She didn't know much about Dickens and they still hadn't read the only story of O. Henry's that she actually remembered from school.  
  
The next story was called "The Last Leaf." It was the most heartbreaking one they'd read thus far. It was about a pair of young women living in Greenwich Village, artists both. One of them came down with pneumonia, which was dangerous in those days. The young woman became convinced that she was going to die when the last leaf on the vine outside her window pulled away in the early winter storms. The doctor told her friend that if she kept thinking so hopelessly that she surely would die.  
  
But then, the old painter who lived downstairs from them became involved. He was a crotchety man, who had tried in vain to paint himself a masterpiece that would give his name and life meaning. He didn't always know how to show his fondness for his young neighbors. In fact, he told the well friend that he thought it was a ridiculous thing for the sick woman to get such fatalistic ideas into her head about falling leaves on a vine.  
  
Just the same, the sick woman continued counting the leaves as they disappeared, till finally only one was left in the gathering darkness before yet another storm. She predicted that when that last leaf fell, she would die. But the next morning, even through the tempest of the night before, the leaf was still there. And though there was yet another storm that night, it hung on again to the next day. Finally, the sick girl decided that if that leaf could cling to life then so could she. She took food and began to fight her way back to life. It was only after she was declared on the mend that the doctor told them that their neighbor from downstairs, the old painter, had died of pneumonia. And the well friend had to break the news to her roommate.  
  
"I have something to tell you, white mouse," Buffy read, "Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia today in the hospital. He was ill only two days. The janitor found him on the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain. His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold. They couldn't imagine where he had been on such a dreadful night. And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colors mixed on it, and – look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece – he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."  
  
After she read the last words, Buffy fell silent. She felt touched by the story, for she too had fought her way back to life, searching for that one leaf to give her hope. Had Spike been her leaf? How important it had been to have him to cling onto. Without him she would have blow away into nothingness. She rubbed the printed page with her fingers and was only pulled out of her reverie by the sound of William sniffing. He had been so touched by the story that he was crying openly, tears running down his face.  
  
"So, sorry," he sniffled. "Behrman just had so much love for those girls."  
  
Buffy put down the book and handed him a wad of tissues. "Yes," she said. "I believe he did."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Willow and Tara were just on their way to lunch between classes. Their arms were linked and their heads were close together as they busily discussed homework assignments. They were so completely lost in each other that they didn't hear Willow's name being called behind them.  
  
"Willow!" Amy called as she ran up to them. "Wait up! Willow!"  
  
Finally Willow heard her name and came to a halt. It had been a while since she had seen her deratted friend. In fact, she'd almost forgotten about her. "Amy," Willow said. Her tone was that of someone meeting a long lost friend. The day was bright. She had her lover on her arm. It was easy to show Amy a little friendliness.  
  
Tara's expression, however, was not so welcoming. She saw an ominous aura around Amy, full of darkness.  
  
"You guys sure move fast," Amy said, panting. "I've been calling after you for some time."  
  
"What do you want?" Tara asked. There was no friendliness in her words. She saw Amy as a seducer, pure and simple.  
  
Amy's eyes flickered to Tara momentarily. She understood the tone of the other woman's voice. This one could see through things to the truth. Doc was wise to want her out of the way. "I just wondered if you two heard the news. But then, you probably have because after all . . . well, you knew him. You guys may even be looking into it already."  
  
"What news?" Willow asked. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You knew that guy Warren, didn't you? I seem to remember you telling me he built this robot that looked like Buffy and that you used when Buffy was dead."  
  
"Oh, yeah," Willow said. Just after Amy had been deratted Willow had been at a very low point. So she had told her just about everything that had happened to them all during the past few years, including the stuff about the Buffybot. "We know him and all, but I wouldn't say we're actually friends."  
  
Amy looked around her, as though to make sure that no one else was within earshot. "He died, you know," she whispered, leaning in closer to the two other witches.  
  
Willow shifted uncomfortably. "Died? How?"  
  
"Well, that's the thing. It sounds an awful lot like it was caused by magic of some sort. I heard it on the news. They were offering it up as a kind of mystery. But it made me afraid that maybe there's some sort of evil witch or something around. Do you know if Warren was into black magic or anything like that?"  
  
Willow looked at Tara. Her lover's usually sweet expression was growing hard. "No," Willow said, "but he wasn't that nice a guy. How do you know he died by magic?"  
  
"Like I said, they offered it up on the news as some kind of mystery. His insides were all smashed up, but there were no marks on the outside of his body, except on his back where he hit against the wall. Only magic can do something like that . . . Or maybe a well spoken curse."  
  
"Well, I don't know anything about it. I don't even know why you're telling me this story. Maybe Rack or someone from his coven knows about it."  
  
"Oh, no. I already checked. That's why I thought I would mention it to you. Maybe this Warren raised some sort of evil spirit and you guys should go out looking for it before someone else gets hurt. That's the kind of thing your group does, isn't it?" Amy looked innocently from on to the other of them.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Willow held her books tighter against herself. "We save the world every now and again. That sort of thing."  
  
"So maybe you want to look into this."  
  
"Yeah, maybe."  
  
"Well, I won't keep you. I just thought you'd wanna to know. I'm sure you guys gotta get to class. Let me know what you find out." Amy gave them a little smile, then turned, and walked away.  
  
"Don't look at me like that," Willow said to her lover.  
  
"You did it," Tara said coldly. "You're the one who killed him."  
  
"No. I didn't. I hit him with enough magic to knock him out. But I didn't use enough to kill him. I swear."  
  
"That's obviously not true. Either you wanted to hurt him or you're completely out of control with your powers."  
  
"Look, all we have is Amy's word on this. I say we go online and do some hacking. We can find out what the police report says. The guy's mind probably just turned to jelly and it killed him, like the curse on the diamond says."  
  
"We have some time now," Tara said.  
  
"Yeah, so we'll go and hack. You'll see. Amy has it all wrong."  
  
Unfortunately, the police report confirmed what Amy had said. There was a whole file from the coroner saying how many different bones had been broken and how strange it was that the outside of Warren's body was untouched by trauma except for his back. Tara was furious. She barely talked to Willow for the rest of the day. And by the time they got home, they weren't talking at all.  
  
When they walked in the door to Buffy's house, they found William in the diningroom once again with Dawn and Zachary. They were discussing new math. Since Buffy had no interest in such brainy pursuits, she was watching television on the couch.  
  
"I'll get dinner," Tara said, mostly in Buffy's direction. "It won't be long. I just brought home a few things." And she streaked toward the kitchen without glancing back.  
  
Buffy caught the tone and asked Willow what the matter was.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Willow answered, trying to be nonchalant. "She just had a bad day at school, that's all." She pulled Buffy further into the livingroom. "How are things going with William?" she whispered.  
  
"Not bad, I guess. But not good either. I spent most of the day reading to him."  
  
"Really?" Willow scrunched up her freckled nose. "What did you read?"  
  
"Mostly O. Henry."  
  
"Oh," Willow said. She'd paid more attention to her literature classes than Buffy had, so she knew who that was. "I guess that makes sense. He was pretty much from the same time as William. Maybe slightly later."  
  
"And then I got him to watch some soap operas. He actually liked those. He likes romantic stuff."  
  
"Yeah, Spike has a romantic side. You should see the way he looks at you. Sometimes it's sweet and romantic. Other times it's searing and sexy."  
  
"Yeah, well right now, William's main expression is one of confusion."  
  
"Has he shown any special feelings toward you yet?"  
  
"Not yet. But there were a couple of times this afternoon when I caught him staring at me."  
  
"Good. You'll see. We'll break through this amnesia thing yet."  
  
"Dawn!" Tara called out from the kitchen. "Will you guys set the table? We don't have much time for dinner tonight."  
  
"I better steer William out to the kitchen and have him drink his medicine," Willow said.  
  
"No. Let me do it," Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, sure. I understand. When Tara was sick, I was the one who wanted to be her primary caretaker. I officially turn William over to you. I'll go see if Tara needs any help with dinner."  
  
When Buffy came into the diningroom she found Dawn clearing the table of books, while Zachary and William stood talking behind their chairs. "Zack," Buffy said, would you help Dawn set the table and carry things in from the kitchen?"  
  
"Oh, sure, Miss Summers. Right away. William was just telling me that he'd like a little change in his wardrobe and I told him that my father has a closet full of clothes he doesn't wear. He keeps his old clothes because he figures he can wear them to work around the house. But then he always hires someone else to do things. After a full day in the hardware store, he's kinda tired of being Mr. Fix-it. I'm sure I can get him to weed out some stuff for William."  
  
"That would be quite wonderful," William said. "I'm growing rather tired of black. It's so severe. Of course, I'm not into bright colors either. Something muted would be fine. Just not black. It's so funereal, don't you think."  
  
"Well, it's not actually my style either," Zachary said, tugging at his own steel blue pullover. "I'll see what I can come up with and bring it over tomorrow."  
  
Well, Buffy thought. It was obvious that Spike didn't get his fashion sense from William. 


	54. Chapter Fifty-Four - The Stand Against t...

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR  
  
The Stand Against the Fire Demons  
  
  
  
Just as they were finishing dinner, Anya and Xander came in with Jonathan in tow. Jonathan was dressed in dark comfortable clothes like the rest of them, but he did not look happy. To lighten things up, Xander was about to make some witty remark about smoking out the Fire demons. But when he saw Dawn's friend Zachary he thought better of it. He didn't want to be the one responsible for scaring off the nice normal young man. There seemed to be so few normal people in their circle.  
  
As promised that morning, Zachary and Dawn took William off to the drug store to see if they could find him some kind of spectacles. William was so happy at the prospect of being able to see clearly again, that he hardly wondered about everybody gathering in the livingroom. He chattered happily with the two teenagers as he walked out and down the street.  
  
Buffy looked after him longingly. She could have used his strength against the Fire demons that night. But it was more than that. It was him she missed, his wisecracks, and his insistence on giving his opinions. Who would watch her back tonight? Who would dive in when needed without waiting for instructions from her? She complained about Spike's interference, but he was the one person in the Scoobies that she didn't feel she had to keep an eye on. And now she had Jonathan to watch too.  
  
Buffy and Willow fetched four crossbows from the weapon collection and handed one to everybody but Tara. "You all shoot whatever Fire demons the Shadows can't take out," Buffy said. "They're not the most physical of fighters, so they'll probably retreat after you wound them. You don't need to shoot to kill. Hit them anywhere. It'll get the point across. Tara, I need you to perform a spell to give us some light in the area. That whole block seems to be without electricity now."  
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Jonathan said, holding up his right hand. "I totally object. "I don't know how to use one of these." He held the crossbow out away from himself as if it might bite him. "And I'm not sure I want to go up against a whole load of Fire demons."  
  
"It's like I told you," Xander said, clapping his arm strongly around Jonathan's back and looming over him. "Your friend Warren took out our second set of muscles. So, till he gets better, YOU are gonna be taking his place."  
  
"But . . . Demons that can shoot fire jets?"  
  
"I'll take out as many of the jets as I can and switch them over to the tamer fireballs that the Shadows can dematerialize around," Buffy said. "Then the Shadows will take it from there."  
  
"How are you gonna do it?" Jonathan asked, looking at her empty hands. She was the only one standing there without a weapon besides Tara.  
  
"Oh, almost forgot!" Buffy said. "I have to get my gun. Thanks for reminding me. Jonathan, you have a choice. You can either shoot the crossbow, or you can help Tara maintain the magical lighting. You know your way around a spell, if I remember correctly."  
  
"Sure, magic I can do. But this crossbow thingy . . ."  
  
"Fine, you hang back with Tara then. But bring the crossbow just in case."  
  
While Buffy ran upstairs to get the ray gun, Anya gave Jonathan a short course on firing a crossbow. "The most important thing to remember," she said, "is to replace the arrow as quickly as possible. Otherwise the bad guys have time to reach you before you can shoot again."  
  
"I'm not feeling comforted here," Jonathan said.  
  
"Don't worry. The Fire demons can't move when they're shooting out fire jets, which makes them easier to hit. And when Buffy makes the jets go out, they'll be surprised and probably won't attack you directly. If it does come down to actual fighting, you'll be fine. Fire demons are rotten fighters, like Buffy said. You can take 'em out with a couple of punches."  
  
"Really?" This thought was almost attractive to Jonathan.  
  
"You'll be fine," Anya said. "But just to be sure, stay behind me."  
  
When Jonathan saw Buffy come down with the ray gun, his eyes widened with fear. "What are you going to do with that?" he said backing up.  
  
"This is what I'm going to use to take out the fire jets." Buffy hefted the gun from one hand to the other, enjoying its weight. "Willow fixed it to transfer the new Fire demons powers into the diamond and then back out at the Fire demon, thus canceling the spell."  
  
"Speaking of the diamond," Willow said, "do you have it?"  
  
"Right here," Buffy said, fishing it out of her pocket. She held it up to the light for everyone to see. "I kinda like how it sparkles."  
  
"You shouldn't be holding that!" Jonathan said. "It's got a curse on it . . . doesn't it?"  
  
"Indeed it does," Buffy said, putting it back in her pocket. "Your friend Warren proved that. But it can't hurt me."  
  
Anya leaned in close to Jonathan and whispered, "That's cos she's not mortal anymore."  
  
"Oh," Jonathan said. It was sort of a breathy exclamation. He was feeling lightheaded, as if he might be about to faint.  
  
"Let's go!" Buffy said. And they filed outside to Xander's car.  
  
They parked several blocks away from the building where Masichuvio and the other Shadows were making their last stand. The window she had broken a couple of days before had a Shadow sentry standing next to it when they climbed in. Masichuvio stepped out of the darkness as they entered.  
  
"Mas," Buffy said, stepping up to him, "I brought some friends to help me tonight. Have you heard anything from the Fire demons?"  
  
"No. It has been quiet," the Shadow said in his moany voice. "But we did not think they would come last night. Tonight or tomorrow perhaps. Maybe both."  
  
"You still have that downstairs door locked, right?"  
  
"Yes. But their fire jets will burn through it after a while."  
  
"Maybe we should go down and meet them on their way up."  
  
"No. The passage is long and narrow. Their fire jets will cause more damage to us as they bounce off the walls. We are better off out in the open." He gestured to the wide lobby area around them.  
  
"Then I guess we wait here for 'em," Buffy said with a nod. She turned to her crew. "Tara, you and Jonathan stay to the back and be ready to give us light."  
  
Tara nodded and pulled Jonathan off to discuss what spell they would use.  
  
"The rest of you scatter around just behind me and start shooting when I say." Buffy took out the diamond and pushed it into place. "OK. All we do now is wait."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The glasses in the display case at the drug store all had wire frames. Zachary patiently helped William try on one pair after another to see which one worked. Dawn watched them, feeling fonder of her new boyfriend by the minute. He was treating William with such gentleness and understanding. All the discomfort he'd felt around Spike was gone and he had fully accepted this new rendition. Zachary was just so wonderful, with his curly brown hair and the cute little freckle near his upper lip and the rosy cheeks. She sighed the deep sigh of a teenager falling in love.  
  
It occurred to her as she watched the two men together that Spike's hair was curlier than usual, more like Zachary's. William didn't believe in hair gel the way Spike did evidently. He obviously preferred the natural look.  
  
"This is the pair," William exclaimed. "These are absolutely perfect." He picked up a box of band-aids that was on a nearby shelf and read the back. "These are practically as good as my old pair. Even small print, will be no problem in these."  
  
"Would you like to see how you look in a mirror?" Zachary said, reaching for the hand mirror that was lying on the counter for just that purpose.  
  
Dawn was about to jump in with an excuse, but she didn't have to. William was not interested in his looks. "Oh, no. Not necessary. I'm sure they look perfectly fine."  
  
"Well, then, I'll buy them for you," Dawn said. "My gift."  
  
"There's one of your mother's books that I am especially looking forward to reading," William said excitedly. "And she had a wonderful book of poems."  
  
"Well, you can look at them both tonight," Dawn said.  
  
"Yes. Yes, indeed I shall."  
  
As they walked back to Buffy's, the two men discussed further the narrative poem that Zachary had written for composition class. William was impressed with it. He was convinced that the young man should become a writer and he told him so.  
  
"Not everyone has such a facility with words," William said. "It is a rare gift. And if I were you, I would certainly plan on taking up writing as your life's profession."  
  
Dawn hardly said anything. She just basked in the company of the two men she loved best.  
  
When they reached the porch, William discreetly said goodnight to Zachary and slipped inside, leaving the young couple to themselves.  
  
"Well, goodnight," Dawn said, expectantly.  
  
"We're still on for the movies tomorrow, right?" Zachary asked, scraping his sneaker along the ground.  
  
"Absolutely. Thanks an awful lot for being so nice to William. I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem. He's a nice guy. Funny he's so different than Spike. I kinda hope he stays like this."  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't know if my sister would agree with you," Dawn laughed.  
  
Zachary's eyes lighted on Dawn's smile as he tried to memorize just what muscles moved when on her lips to make it happen. Before he knew it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, gently at first, then a little more insistently. Like William the night before, he was startled at the pull he felt.  
  
"Good night," Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah," he said not moving.  
  
She gave him another smile and then went inside.  
  
William was waiting right at the door for her. "So, your sister asked me to help you with your composition for school. Shall we get to work, then?"  
  
"What?" Dawn asked. She was still lost in Zachary's kiss.  
  
"That composition. Zachary is quite beautifully prepared. But yours is not. I think we should begin drafting some ideas." William traveled to a grouping of pictures in the livingroom and picked up a framed one of Joyce and her two daughters. "Is this your mother?" he asked holding it up.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"She was a very beautiful woman. Why don't you write about her?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, the composition is supposed to be about something or someone important to you, is it not?"  
  
"Well, yeah but . . ."  
  
"Young Zachary's is a patriotic send up of your revolutionary war, written from the viewpoint of a young soldier. It's very realistic with all the blood and dirt. Yet still he is able to find the nobility in the battle. You can find nobility as well. But in this case, in the woman whom you knew so well."  
  
"I don't think I can do that."  
  
"Nonsense, of course you can. Let's go in now and make up some notes. We'll both talk about our mothers and tell each other what we loved best about them."  
  
"William, I don't know . . ."  
  
But he would brook no opposition. He firmly directed her into the livingroom and fetched the big three ring binder that she kept most of her homework in from the place on the floor in the corner where she'd left it. "Here we are," he said as he opened it in front of her. Then he took the seat where Zachary usually sat and leaned forward over the table. "Now what is your favorite memory about your mother? Mine is just after my father died. She was faced with many adversities at that time. But she never complained. She remained stalwart through it all and never wavered in her patience with me, even though I know now that she was under enormous strain."  
  
"Well," Dawn said slowly. "When my parents split up, my mom was a lot like that. Course, my dad didn't die. But considering how often we see him he might as well have . . ."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
It was almost one o'clock in the morning when the Fire demons began to attack. The Shadows heard them first. Their sense of hearing was very acute and they could hear their enemies yelling in the tunnels below before Buffy and the Scoobies could. Soon the fire door to the basement was under attack. It took a while, but the door finally gave way under the fire jets. Then a small army of gray and orange demons pushed their way in.  
  
Buffy gave the order for Tara and Jonathan to use their lighting spell. Over the heads of the advancing Fire demons a greenish light appeared in the form of a cloud. It wasn't a bright light because that would have hurt the Shadows.  
  
"Shoot!" Buffy called as the first group of demons came charging in.  
  
This immediate round of arrows gave the Shadows and their allies a much needed advantage. After the first three Fire demons were hit, they immediately tried to turn back. The demons coming behind them were thus thrown off their game. Buffy was able to turn off one fire jet after another. Then the Shadows ran in and fought them hand to hand.  
  
Several waves of Fire demons tried to charge in from the stairs. But they were all turned back. The Scoobies had to do a little of the fighting. After Buffy negated most of their fire jets, the Fire demons decided to try rushing their enemies. Buffy had to maintain control of the ray gun because she couldn't risk letting it get captured. So, it was mostly Xander and Jonathan who found themselves fighting. Jonathan wasn't happy about it at first, but the Fire demons were such rotten fighters that he soon found himself rather liking it. Tara was able to maintain the magic lighting by herself because the dim lighting didn't require much power.  
  
Finally, the Fire demons retreated back down the stairs and off into the underground tunnels beneath the avenue. Buffy and Xander helped Masichuvio and his people move several pieces of furniture and scrap metal in front of the basement door to act as a barricade.  
  
"They won't return tonight," Masichuvio said. "Like us, they tire easily. And their fire jets seem to use a lot of energy. They will come back tomorrow, though, of that I am sure."  
  
"Then we will too," Buffy promised.  
  
Meanwhile underground, the Fire demons were making their way towards the basement of the warehouse at number 666. They were grumbling and unhappy. It was the first battle they had lost to the Shadows in a long time. They knew it had been the Slayer's help that had made the difference.  
  
Ledic was there as well. But since he was one of the older members of the group, they had made him march to the rear. His main job was to collect the wounded and bring them back to the basement of the warehouse. Since the Scoobies had shot arrows at the first Fire demons that came up, there had been casualties very early. Ledic never actually made it to the fighting before the retreat was called. But he had been able to help three of his wounded comrades away to safety so that those trained in the healing arts could tend to them.  
  
So many injuries, Ledic thought. And there would be more. This was where their support of Doc and Rack would lead them. He knew that. The Fire demons would do the fighting and the dying and those others would reap the benefits. Unlike the rest of his kind, he did not delude himself into believing that they would share in the power of Doc and Rack. He knew they considered the Fire demons to be beneath them. So instead they would become their servants . . . their lackeys. Nothing more. To Ledic, this new power they'd been given was not equal to the loss of their freedom.  
  
Even now, their masters were excluding them. Rack and his coven were in the process of preparing the warehouse for the Imbolc celebration in two and a half weeks. They were cleaning and purifying the area. As a result, the Fire demons were not allowed in the warehouse proper anymore. That was just one example of how things were going to be. Ledic's people were not considered clean enough to walk within their temple.  
  
Originally, Ledic had objected to this alliance. He reminded the others that the Fire demons were a proud people who had always been independent. He told them that they should remain so. But no one had listened to him. Now what he feared was coming to pass. There were many injuries that night. But there would be more. So far the Slayer had only used arrows against them. But soon Rack would raise the great Imbolc fires against the night sky. What would the Slayer and the humans of the city do then? How many Fire demons would die in that great battle? And even if their side won, the Fire demons would still be nothing but slaves.  
  
Ledic realized that it was time to seek out the Slayer.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
It was very late when Buffy, Tara, and Willow got home. Dawn had been in bed for hours and William was asleep on the couch. They tried to be quiet, but the extra weapons they were carrying kept hitting against things in the semi-darkness. Buffy was forced to switch on the hall lights, which roused William.  
  
"Who's there?" William called in a shaky voice from the couch.  
  
"It's OK," Buffy answered. "It's just us."  
  
"We'll put these away," Willow said, referring to the two crossbows that she and Tara were each carrying. "Then we'll go to bed."  
  
"You sure?" Buffy asked. "I could use a snack. You wanna join me?"  
  
"No, I don't think so," Tara said.  
  
"OK. I'll see you in the morning then."  
  
"Yeah, good night."  
  
Buffy went off to the kitchen while the other two went upstairs. She left the ray gun on the sideboard, switched on the light, and started rummaging in the refrigerator. Meat. That's what she wanted right then. There were a couple of pieces of roast beef left over from dinner.  
  
As she was making her sandwich, William toddled in from the livingroom, a sheet wrapped modestly around his shoulders. He had worn clothes to bed, yet because he was using them as pajamas, he considered it improper for them to be seen by Buffy. "Where have you been?" he asked, nervously eyeing the gun on the counter. "You came in with so many weapons."  
  
"We had a job to do," Buffy said, cutting her sandwich.  
  
"What kind of job needs crossbows?"  
  
"Yeah, well. It was sort of a peace keeping job." She took a bite of her sandwich and then sat down at the counter island.  
  
"Peace keeping? What does that mean?"  
  
Buffy looked at the fearful blue eyes on the other side of William's new glasses. At that hour of the night it seemed silly to carry on a pretense about social work. William was going to find out what they did sooner or later. "A peace keeper is sort of a policeman. We keep the peace in the demon world."  
  
"Demon world?"  
  
"Yes. The group we fought against tonight call themselves Fire demons. We were helping this other group of demons called the Shadows to keep their home."  
  
William's eyebrows knitted together as he tried to understand. "That sounds like horrible work for a woman. Shouldn't the police be handling that?"  
  
"I wish they would. But it's my job. I'm what they call a Slayer. I'm stronger than ordinary women. I can't be killed as easily and I heal faster. We're in a town where there's a large amount of evil, see?" Buffy took a deep drink of her soda and moved on to the second half of her sandwich. "It's my job to keep it in check. All my friends help me."  
  
William pushed his glasses back up his nose and tightened his grip on the sheet. "I can't believe you'd do such things. No lady should do such things." He stressed the word lady in an odd tone.  
  
For the first time Buffy really looked up at him. She saw the stiffness in his stance and the expression of revulsion on his face. He seemed to want to run away from her. She knew gentle William would be taken aback by all this demon fighting, but she never expected him to be disgusted by her.  
  
"And . . . you can even eat? I . . . I'm going back to bed now," William said, desperately breaking away.  
  
Sitting alone in the quiet kitchen, Buffy felt the sting of hot tears rush to her eyes. She realized then that it was the vampire in Spike that had always fought at her side so fearlessly and that understood her appetites so well. It was probably the vampire also that came across with the witty remarks and the annoying opinions. She'd sort of suspected that. But seeing the more human side of her boyfriend look at her that way, as if he were almost nauseated by her, that hurt terribly. Somehow, she couldn't finish her sandwich.  
  
Upstairs in the master bedroom, Willow and Tara were facing some things of their own. Willow was getting ready for bed, avoiding her lover's face because she knew what was coming. Tara was still dressed, sitting in the chair next to the bed brushing her hair. Her feet were drawn up under her and her hands felt cold and clammy as she thought of what she needed to say.  
  
"I haven't mentioned it yet tonight," Tara said, "but that doesn't mean I've forgotten . . . about Warren."  
  
"I didn't kill him, I told you," Willow insisted, closing the drawer of Joyce's old bureau just a little too hard. "I didn't use that much magic."  
  
"Maybe you didn't mean to hurt him. But Willow, whenever your emotions go on overload you become dangerous. You stop thinking and you just force your will on everybody who gets in your way. That forgetting spell was like that. Bringing Buffy back from the dead was too. Killing Warren. It's all part of a pattern. You're not addicted to magic so much as you let your emotions get out of hand and then you use magic to solve everything. The way you handled Eric and his henchmen was much more controlled because at least then you weren't emotionally involved."  
  
"So I care about things. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing unless you let it get out of hand. And you were definitely out of control when you killed Warren. You let your anger at him boil over and you acted without thinking." Tara rubbed her hand over the hard bristles of her hair brush. "I don't think I'm quite ready for us to get back together yet. I think you still have some things to work out."  
  
"I've cut back on magic," Willow said, whirling around. "I don't know what else you want."  
  
"It's not the magic, it's you. It's you you have to control. The magic is secondary. You use it to force your will on people, like a bully on a play ground using his fists. Only what you do is a lot more dangerous."  
  
"I'm not a bully."  
  
"Yes you are. What you did to Warren . . ."  
  
"He was going to shoot us with that ray thing. I stopped him. That's all."  
  
"You didn't just stop him. You killed him. You've got to start thinking before you act. You can't just let your emotions guide you."  
  
"Fine. You want to leave again. Be my guest. But I didn't kill him."  
  
"I'm sorry," Tara said.  
  
"So am I," Willow said, slipping into bed. "I just don't know why you can't believe me. I've changed. Honest."  
  
Tara didn't answer. She couldn't understand why Willow wouldn't admit that she'd gotten carried away. That was why she was leaving again.  
  
Willow turned off the light. Tara remained sitting in the darkness. Somehow she didn't want to join Willow in bed. 


	55. Chapter Fifty-Five - Doc's Revenge Begin...

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE  
  
Doc's Revenge Begins  
  
  
  
The next morning the atmosphere in Buffy's house was definitely tense. William and Buffy kept a distance from each other and Tara announced at breakfast that she was going to be staying in her own apartment again. She'd been maintaining it, though at a distance. She and Willow would occasionally stop there to pick up mail on the way back from school.  
  
Buffy wanted to ask what had happened. But she didn't. She figured she could do that later when she and Willow were alone.  
  
"I'll be back tonight though," Tara said, "for when you all go downtown again to fight with the Shadows."  
  
"You don't have to," Buffy offered. "We can get Jonathan to cast the spell for the lighting."  
  
"No. He might have to fight again. You need someone to just concentrate on the lights. I'll meet all of you here tonight and travel with you. I just won't be coming back afterward. I'm going to take some things over to my apartment this afternoon."  
  
There wasn't much anyone could say. Dawn felt things the most. She was losing Tara once again. And she could see that something was wrong between William and Buffy. There didn't seem to be much she could do about anything. So instead, she thought about Zachary, who was coming over later in the day.  
  
Tara left the house exactly at noon. It was an especially bright day, but her mind was so preoccupied that she didn't notice Amy watching her from down the block. Amy was leaning against a tree with a large black SUV in front of it. She let Tara get about a block ahead of her and then she followed.  
  
Buffy found Willow in her room banging things around. She was refilling the drawers she had given over to Tara with her own clothing again. Then she rearranged her shoes in the closet, thumping them against the walls and floor. Buffy considered leaving her friend to herself. But she knocked on the door and came in anyway.  
  
"Are you all right?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No," Willow said, angrily. "I'm not. Tara doesn't believe me. How can you have a relationship with someone if they won't trust you? I know what I did before was wrong. But I didn't do this and she just won't believe me!"  
  
Buffy came into the room and closed the door. "What is it you didn't do?"  
  
"I didn't kill Warren. I could have killed him for the way he treated Tara . . . and Spike. But I didn't." Willow had one black sneaker in her right hand and she raised it up and down to punctuate her words. "I zapped him a couple of times with magic. I threw him against the wall. And when he tried to go at us again, I threw him harder against the wall. It was enough to make him pass out, but not enough to kill him. Amy showed up yesterday at school and told us this story about how Warren died and that his insides were all broken up but that there weren't any marks on the outside of his body, except where he hit the wall. Tara assumed that I was out of control with my magic and that I killed him. But I didn't, Buffy. I swear." She threw her shoe at the floor and it bounced two feet away on the carpet. "Why doesn't she believe me?"  
  
"Are you sure it wasn't just the curse that killed him?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. But why were his insides all broken up? The curse shouldn't have done that. Why didn't Tara believe me? You believe me, don't you?"  
  
Buffy wanted to. She really did. But like Tara, she had her doubts. She had seen Willow's power when she vanquished Eric and his henchmen to another dimension. Could she just not have known her own strength? "Are you sure?" Buffy asked cautiously.  
  
"As sure as I can be."  
  
"Well, if you didn't do it, who did?"  
  
"Who knows? Maybe some other enemy of his came in after we left. Warren wasn't exactly a nice guy. Maybe some other magic person came in, saw him in that weakened conditioned, and took advantage. Amy is right about one thing. From the description of his body, his death was probably caused by magic."  
  
"Unless it was somehow caused by the curse . . . which of course would still be magic."  
  
"Maybe his whole insides imploded because of the curse. I don't know. I only know that I didn't kill him!"  
  
"Well, then. We can ask Jonathan tonight when we see him if he knows of any magical enemies Warren might have had. And you can do some more investigation on the curse. See if you can learn how it kills its victims."  
  
"I'll try," Willow said. "I'll hack back into the Watcher's website again and see what I can dig up."  
  
"You do that," Buffy said. Willow was already digging her laptop out from under a pile of clothes. So, Buffy left her to it.  
  
Zachary came in sometime around three o'clock in the afternoon with a couple of shopping bags full of clothes. William had been reading in the diningroom.  
  
"Wow!" Dawn said. "You really brought a lot of stuff."  
  
"As it turned out, my mom had been dying to get my dad to clean out his closet," Zachary said, putting the bags down. He stretched his fingers. They were decorated by red echoes of the bag handles. "My mom did most of the weeding out herself. All good stuff. But she knew he was never gonna wear it again."  
  
"Let's see." Dawn picked up one off the shopping bags and headed for the couch. "Come on, William," she called behind her. "Come see what Zachary brought you."  
  
William put down his book at once and abandoned it on the diningroom table. "So much!" he exclaimed, seeing the size of the bags. "Your father is truly a generous man. You, uh, wouldn't happen to have any sleeping clothes in there, would you?"  
  
Zachary had been pulling things out of the bags alongside of Dawn. Pajamas were one thing he hadn't thought of. "Well, I didn't bring actual pajamas," he said. But I can drop round tomorrow with a few more things. Um. Usually I sleep in running shorts and a tee shirt. I'll see what I can dig up like that."  
  
Dawn snuck a side glance at her boyfriend. She was wondering what he might look like in shorts and a nice tight tee. From what little she could see in his warmer January garb, she guessed that he had nice meaty thighs to go with his nice round . . . Stop, she thought. She had to stop thinking like that. After all, she'd only started going out with him. But she had to admit to herself that she was looking forward to the hot days of summer with its long afternoons on the beach.  
  
"Pajamas," William continued, his blue eyes sparkling behind his spectacles. "That is something that I really could use. I would be so appreciative."  
  
"Sure," Zachary said.  
  
"Your dad certainly likes plaid," Dawn said, holding up three shirts of varying plaid designs.  
  
"Yeah well, I think that's sort of required in the hardware business. You have to look country. But there are lots of solids here too. And several pairs of jeans and khaki pants."  
  
"It's wonderful," William said. "I simply can't thank you enough."  
  
At this point Buffy came in from the kitchen where she was trying to decide what they should have for dinner. Without Tara present she figured it was up to her. And because they were going to fight with the Shadows again that night, she wanted to start dinner early. She had settled on frozen fried chicken, the TV dinner kind with vegetables and such included. This was her favorite method of cooking. Unfortunately it wasn't the most cost conscious of meals. "What's going on?" she asked, seeing all the men's clothes strewn across her couch.  
  
"Zachary brought over some clothes for William," Dawn said, the big bright smile on her face saying it all.  
  
"Yes, he's been most kind," William agreed. "My only concern is about where to keep everything."  
  
Buffy thought of offering to let him keep them in her room. But she knew proper William would never agree to that. "You can keep them downstairs in the basement. We've got line strung up down there for hanging laundry. You can use that."  
  
"I've got tons of extra hangers," Dawn said.  
  
"That would be truly wonderful," William said.  
  
"Are you staying for dinner," Buffy asked Zachary.  
  
"No, thank you Miss Summers. My mom's expecting me home. But I'll be back later to pick up Dawn to take her out to the movies."  
  
"Fine. Just don't get her home too late. William will report to me if you miss curfew. Won't you, William?" Buffy looked toward William, who quickly looked away.  
  
"Yes, of course," he said in a small voice.  
  
At dinnertime, William showed up at the table in some of his new clothes. He had on a plaid shirt of green and yellow, with a pair of khaki pants. Again, Spike obviously didn't get his fashion sense from William. It was all the ladies could do not to laugh. Spike the big bad vampire was just not the green plaid type.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
It was after dark when Tara left her apartment to head off for Buffy's. She was running a bit late and wondering if she should have asked Xander and Anya to pick her up. She lived in a quiet neighborhood of mostly older people, so it was lonely out on the street. She moved at a good clip, not paying much attention to her surroundings. After all, she was late and this wasn't a particularly demonic part of town.  
  
She was just rounding an enormous privet hedge when a little man stepped out in front of her. She started, but the man was so small and seemingly harmless that she didn't think anything of it. "Excuse me," she said.  
  
"Of course," the man answered. "My fault. I'm afraid these old eyes of mine don't see so well at night anymore. That happens when you get to my age."  
  
Tara smiled politely.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?"  
  
"Of course," Tara said. Her mother had always taught her to be nice to old people. She glanced down at her watch. "It's just seven o'clock." When she looked up at him again she thought for a second that he seemed familiar somehow. Maybe she'd seen him around the neighborhood.  
  
"Thank you so much. It seems I'm just on time." While she had been glancing down at her watch, he had been looking around the street to make sure they were quite alone. "Good night," he said very pleasantly with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Good night," Tara said with another polite smile. And she started away. If she hadn't been in such a hurry, she might have noticed the man's dark aura as she had noticed Amy's the day before. But she didn't.  
  
Doc let her get just past him and then he whipped out his long tongue and pulled her back into his waiting knife. She was too unprepared to fight back and it was over quickly. To make it look like a robbery, he took the satchel that she was carrying. With gloved hands he withdrew her wallet and removed the small amount of cash within. Then he tossed both wallet and bag over her body. He left her close to the privet hedge but not too far into the shadows. He wanted her to found quickly and to be identified.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
At seven-thirty, Xander and Anya arrived at Buffy's, once again with Jonathan in tow. Zachary and Dawn had already left for the early show at the downtown Cineplex.  
  
Willow had spent most of the day researching the diamond's curse of madness. But there wasn't much. Basically everyone who'd fallen to the curse had died by doing something crazy. Their madness had killed them, but not directly. She was hoping to find out something from Jonathan. When they came in, she was right there ready to question him. "Did Warren have any enemies?" she asked, getting right into his face.  
  
Jonathan had seen enough of Willow's power in the last couple of days to fear her. This just wasn't the group he remembered from high school anymore. Willow was a powerful witch, going with another witch. Anya was a former demon. Spike was a vampire. And the leader of them all had somehow become some kind of an immortal according to Anya. "Uh, enemy?" His voice stuttered slightly. "What do you mean, enemy?" He was thinking actually that Warren had considered all of the people standing around him as his enemies. But he didn't think it was a good idea to say that to Willow.  
  
"You know, someone who really hated him."  
  
Jonathan thought for a moment. "No. We were just starting on our reign of terror here in Sunnydale. We didn't have much of a chance yet to tick people off."  
  
"Did he have any magical friends?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. There was me . . . and then there was Andrew. But he sort of killed Andrew, so I guess I'm all that's left."  
  
"Why the twenty questions?" Xander asked.  
  
"Warren died," Willow answered. "And I just wondered if it was the curse, or something else."  
  
"No. I don't know anyone who would have been out to get him," Jonathan answered.  
  
"It was probably the curse finally turning his brain to glue," Anya offered.  
  
"Yeah," Xander agreed.  
  
"Yeah, most likely," Willow said. "Where's Tara? She should be here by now?"  
  
"She's not here already?" Xander asked.  
  
"She, uh, was going to come from her apartment tonight," Willow said. She didn't want to get into any explanations about her and Tara in front of Jonathan.  
  
"Will?" Buffy called from upstairs. "Could you help me with all the weapons?"  
  
"Sure," Willow called. "On my way."  
  
Anya looked around into the diningroom and saw William sitting alone at the table behind a book. Where Spike often liked to be noticed, William was good at folding into himself and disappearing. Anya elbowed Xander and then leaned into him, hiding her smile.  
  
"Hey there, William," Xander called, understanding his fiancée's signal. "How's it going?"  
  
"Fine. Thank you very kindly," William answered. He gave them a polite smile, but made no attempt to get up and commune with them. Now that he knew what they were doing with their evenings, he wanted to keep what distance he could from the whole dirty business.  
  
"See you've got some new clothes," Xander said.  
  
"Yes. Young Zachary was so kind as to bring me some things that his father no longer required. They fit quite adequately."  
  
"Yes," Xander said.  
  
Jonathan peered past Xander into the diningroom at William. His expression was not as charitable. He clearly found the vampire a strange sight in his new green plaid shirt.  
  
For the next hour or so everyone went into the livingroom and milled around, talking about this and that. Anya mentioned that she was keeping up a minor correspondence with Giles just to let him know how the store was running. Buffy asked how he was. She hadn't talked to him since Christmas, since she had come "out" about her relationship with Spike. She was afraid that Giles would give her a hard time. She kept meaning to at least write him. Then she wouldn't have to hear any disappointment in his voice.  
  
"Oh, he's fine," Anya said. "Caught up in Watcher stuff mostly. Hunting down demons, undoing evil spells."  
  
"Where IS Tara?" Willow asked. She was standing at the front door, looking out the little window.  
  
"I don't know," Buffy said. "But if she doesn't get here soon, we'll have to go without her. I promised the Shadows I'd be there. Why don't you try calling her?"  
  
"I'll do that," Willow said. And she went into the kitchen to make the call. But there was no answer. She left a message on Tara's answering machine saying that she should call back as soon as she could and leave a message so she would know everything was all right.  
  
Buffy saw her friend's face as she came back into the livingroom. After what they'd gone through recently with Spike, she could just imagine what Willow was thinking.  
  
"She's not there," Willow said. "At least she's not answering."  
  
"I guess that means you're handling the lighting by yourself," Buffy said to Jonathan. "Think you can?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"What if we have fighting again? Do I have to face off with all the beasties by myself?" Xander asked.  
  
"I guess you will," Buffy said.  
  
"I for one don't like that idea. Maybe we should get William to come with us," Xander suggested.  
  
"What?" Buffy looked at him as though he was insane.  
  
William looked up from his book in the other room, suddenly terrified.  
  
"Well, he's still got his super strength," Xander said.  
  
"Yeah, but does he remember how to use it?" Buffy said.  
  
Super strength, William asked himself. I? Super strength?  
  
"I'd like to take some time to at least try and train him before we take him out with us."  
  
"But even without training, his strength will go a long way."  
  
Buffy sighed heavily. It made sense to her. Since William wasn't human, whether he knew it or not, he also wasn't likely to get hurt. She remembered that amnesia spell Willow had put them all under. In that situation, Randy had still retained Spike's fighting abilities. Maybe it would work.  
  
If only Tara had been there. She would have pointed out that Spike had stripped all of the basic vampire instincts out of William so that he couldn't be used by Warren to do any damage to anyone. This would include his fighting skills as well. Spike wanted William to be a threat to no one. He was in essence the same milquetoast that he'd been when Drusilla turned him. And that quiet little poet had no knowledge of fisticuffs.  
  
"William," Buffy said, walking into the diningroom. "We need you."  
  
"Me?" William whimpered.  
  
"You may not remember, but you're very strong. We really need your strength tonight. Do you know how to use a crossbow?"  
  
"A . . . a . . .a . . . ."  
  
"Let me show you. It's easy." Buffy gave him a few pointers. She spoke fast and loud so he couldn't interrupt. At the conclusion, she handed the weapon to him and walked away. "OK," she said, "I'm going to get the ray gun and the diamond and we're off. Willow, why don't you leave a note for Dawn to let her know we've spirited William off."  
  
"Good idea," Willow said. "I'll let her know that Tara didn't show up also. Maybe she could call her just after she gets in to see if she's all right."  
  
Before long, they were off with a very timid William in tow. With Buffy walking on one side of him and Willow walking on the other, he didn't dare say anything about anything.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Dawn and Zachary arrived home at the proper curfew time. But Dawn wished the night didn't have to end. "William helped me with my composition last night. I think now that it might actually be on time."  
  
"Good," Zachary said. He didn't want the evening to end either and school seemed as good a topic of conversation as any to keep things going. As they talked, he held her hands. "This week we can go over that chemistry stuff."  
  
"I am so not interested in chemistry," Dawn said rolling her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, it's not my favorite either. But we need it to graduate. Next Saturday you wanna do something different? Maybe we could hang out at the mall or something."  
  
Dawn thought for a minute. She didn't really want to go back into that department store anytime soon. And she certainly didn't want Zachary to find out about her life of crime. He was such a straight arrow. "To hang- out?"  
  
"Yeah. Some of the guys go there late Saturday afternoon with their girls. Then they usually head out for something to eat as it gets dark. I thought I might show you off."  
  
Dawn blushed at the thought. She liked it that he wanted to be seen with her. Course, everybody at school already knew they were an item. They met a lot between classes, sat together in study hall, had lunch together, and walked home at the end of the day. Janice was beginning to complain that she never saw Dawn anymore. "Since it's a group thing, can I invite Janice? I don't mean that she'd tag along with us. She can meet us there."  
  
"Sure, just as long as we get some time alone." Zachary's breath slipped away from him and he leaned forward to kiss her . . . when suddenly a flashing red light pulled up to the curb right in front of the house.  
  
It was a police car. It didn't have its siren running, but the light on top was spinning. Two uniformed officers got out and walked up to the porch where Dawn and Zachary were standing.  
  
"Excuse me," the taller of the two officers said, "We're looking for Willow Rosenberg . . ." 


	56. Chapter Fifty-Six - Weathering the Attac...

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX  
  
Weathering the Attack  
  
  
  
The Fire demons started their attack at two o'clock in the morning that night. They were able to break through the barrier that they'd set up the night before pretty quickly. This time they concentrated their numbers in the first wave from the cellar so that they couldn't be turned back so easily. Still, the ray gun took most of the fight out of them. They tried to rush Buffy to capture the gun. But it was pointless. The Shadows stopped the bulk of the attack. Xander and Buffy only had to deal with two or three that slipped through.  
  
Poor William was totally worthless. He didn't know he could fight and he couldn't shoot the crossbow. He was terrified by the rush of demons in every direction. He spent most of his time cowering.  
  
When it was over, Xander pulled Buffy aside and said, "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really missing Spike here. I was so wrong to suggest bringing William."  
  
Both Buffy and Xander turned for a moment to watch William as he tried to fade into the background. He was thoroughly ashamed of being so useless. He wanted to be strong and decisive, to be a man of action. But he just didn't have the ability. He wished he could jump into battle like Xander. They were disappointed in him. He could tell. His mother had always been such a quiet sufferer. She didn't like to communicate her feelings, she just expected you know what they were. As a result, over the years William had learned to read people well. He knew he'd let his new friends down. And somehow he could sense that as terrifying as all this was, they were doing something important. But alas, he was not a man of strength, no matter what Buffy said.  
  
In truth, he was opposed to fisticuffs mostly because he couldn't do them. He knew he was a lousy poet. But he was still a better writer than he was a fighter. He couldn't even fight back with words when it was necessary. Part of him was just cowardly and there was an end to it. He wanted to be more, he really did. But he just couldn't be.  
  
But Buffy . . . he could see that she had all the strength that he lacked. Her ability to make decisions, to lead, the abnormal power she seemed to have. He was both amazed and in awe of her. She was . . . magnificent.  
  
As the Scoobies made their way back to Xander's car, they walked slowly for it was now very late. That is, everybody but Willow walked slowly. She was anxious to get home to find out about Tara.  
  
"Come on, you guys," Willow chided. "Get a move on! We don't have all night."  
  
The others exchanged glances but said nothing. They let her pull ahead of them and mostly just looked down at their feet as they walked. They didn't notice immediately when Willow stopped to aim her crossbow at a Fire demon who was loitering near Xander's car. After their tired eyes told their tired brains what was going on, they moved quickly to Willow's side. Xander and Anya held up their crossbows and stood on either side of Buffy. Buffy held her ray gun in readiness. Jonathan and William sort of hid behind them.  
  
"What do you want?" Buffy demanded.  
  
"This is Ledic," Willow said. "That's as far as we've gotten.  
  
"Ledic," Buffy repeated. "And to what do we owe this pleasure?"  
  
"You are the Slayer." Ledic said in a voice that had just the hint of a hiss. "You came to our tunnels. You help the Shadows."  
  
"What's it to ya?"  
  
"I want to help you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I want to help you in your fight against my people and their masters."  
  
"Masters? So the Fire demons are working for someone." Buffy said.  
  
"Yes. My people have dreams of glory because of their newfound powers. But they come at the cost of our freedom. I don't want my people to work as servants for anyone."  
  
"So you're a turncoat."  
  
"No," Ledic said, holding his orange and gray head highly. "I am a freedom fighter. I come to you in order to set my people free."  
  
"And who is it that you're trying to be free from?"  
  
"The leader of their group is a man called Doc."  
  
"Doc!" Xander exclaimed. "He was the guy who cut up Dawn last year so that Glory could open that portal to the different dimensions. He threw Spike off the tower."  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said. "And I tossed him off. I guess the guy just doesn't kill easy."  
  
"Tara and I saw a body fall from the tower," Willow said. "But we didn't get a good look at him. We were kinda busy with the rest of the battle. Especially me."  
  
"So, what's the big plan?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I don't know all of it, except that it's supposed to take place on the feast of Imbolc."  
  
"The feast of Im-who?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Imbolc," Willow said. "It marks sort of the end of winter and the return of the sun. It's usually celebrated with huge blazes and all kinds of fire."  
  
"Oh, great! More fire," Buffy said. "That explains why they'd want a group of Fire demons to help."  
  
"But the feast in itself doesn't have any human sacrifices or call for anything bad in itself," Willow said.  
  
"Least I'm glad to hear that," Buffy said.  
  
"Do you think our friend Doc is planning on trying to bring Glory back?" Willow asked.  
  
"It's possible," Buffy said. "I had about all I can take of that skanky ho last year. I don't need to see her again."  
  
"Neither do I," Willow agreed.  
  
"So, what are you proposing?" Buffy asked Ledic.  
  
"That I will keep you advised of any attacks or plans, so you will be forewarned."  
  
"And how do you propose that we stay in contact?"  
  
Ledic pointed to an alleyway across the street. You or one of your people can meet me there. I think we will not fight again until Monday. Being beaten two days in a row has depressed my people. They were beginning to think they were invulnerable. They want Doc to give them greater powers. But he has not been down here in some time. It seems he has more important business elsewhere. His followers, meanwhile, are preparing the warehouse that you and the vampire came to for the Imbolc celebration."  
  
"Tell me," Willow said. "Do they have a lot of witches? Human ones?"  
  
"Yes," Ledic answered. "But not all of them are human."  
  
"Though evidently the ones who gave you your extra fire powers are," Willow pointed out.  
  
"I do not know about that. But yes, there are many humans. And a few others as well. Doc is not human."  
  
"All right," Buffy said. "We'll meet you here again on Monday."  
  
As the Scoobies drove back uptown, Buffy asked what they all thought of this Ledic.  
  
"I don't trust him," Xander said.  
  
"Neither do I," Willow said. "But I think we have to see where it goes."  
  
"I think he seemed in earnest," Anya said. "I've met a few Fire demons over the last thousand years. And he's more like the run of the mill kind. Very proper, very determined to be free and apart from all other species. I wonder if this group Doc has culled his Fire demons from various tribes over time. You know, luring over the malcontents with promises of new power."  
  
"Sounds possible," Buffy said. "Jonathan?"  
  
"Who me?"  
  
"Yes you, Shrimp-guy," Xander said.  
  
"Me? I think I wanna move out of state. Who is this Glory you were all talking about?"  
  
"A hell god," Anya answered off-handedly.  
  
"Oh, is that all?" Jonathan said.  
  
"Yeah," Willow said. "But we beat her. Or anyway, Buffy did."  
  
"William?" Buffy coaxed. "Do you have any opinions?"  
  
There was a long silence from the back of the car. "No," came the tiny answer.  
  
Buffy sighed to herself. She could have used a good dose of Spike's irritating opinions at that point. Working with demons against demons, and dealing with demon turncoats was not something she had a lot of experience in. Anya was well versed in demonology. But tactical stuff was Spike's specialty. She would have liked to have heard what he thought about Ledic's trustworthiness. She had no doubt that if Spike had been there, he would have doused the guy with bravado and tested him a bit. And anyway, it had been his idea to help the Shadows in the first place!  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Willow led the way up the front walk as they approached Buffy's. Buffy came next, followed well behind by William. He was feeling more and more ineffectual. Hell gods . . . demons. What was he doing with these people?  
  
As they came in the house, the first thing they saw was Zachary and Dawn sitting on the livingroom couch. Dawn had wads of tissues in her hands, with several others scattered over her lap. Her eyes were red and puffed up to twice their size from crying. As soon as she saw them, she started crying again.  
  
"What's wrong," Buffy asked.  
  
Willow said nothing. Somehow she already knew.  
  
Dawn tried to speak but no words could get past her sobs.  
  
"Miss Summers," Zachary said rising to his feet. He couldn't bring himself to address himself to Willow. "It's Tara."  
  
Willow's breathing sped up and her eyes widened. She reached out for someone to cling to. William stepped to her side and supported her. Demons and weapons he couldn't handle. But emotion, that was something he understood.  
  
"The police were here earlier, just when we got back," Zachary continued. "Tara was evidently the victim of a mugging. She was stabbed several times and her money was taken. But they left her empty wallet. She had her student ID in it and the police were able to reach someone at the college. They checked their records and told them that Willow was listed as Tara's official next of kin."  
  
He stopped for a moment to see if anyone would ask any questions. But no one could. Dawn was still sobbing on the couch. Willow buried her fingers deeply into William's arms. Tears were brimming over and falling silently down her cheeks. Buffy's eyes were tearing as well. She sniffed to keep them back.  
  
"They want you to come tomorrow to identify her. I've got the address."  
  
"Noooo!" Willow cried out. It was a long pitiable sound, full of all the heartbreak and loss, of one soul torn from another. She sank to her knees and huddled to the floor. William went down with her, wrapping his arms around her to give her what comfort he could. 


	57. Chapter Fifty-Seven - Blur

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN  
  
Blur  
  
  
  
The rest of the night and the morning were a blur. This time it was William who took charge. He had had to take care of his mother at various points. So, he wasn't a stranger to being a caretaker under difficult circumstances.  
  
Willow was in deep shock. William wrapped a blanket around her and made her some sweet tea. Then he stationed Buffy by her friend's side to make sure she drank it. He then got some tea for Dawn as well and handed it off to Zachary to administer.  
  
After a few minutes, William said, "Buffy, I think you should notify your friends Xander and Anya. I can see to it if you like." The telephone was one of those "American inventions" that his subconscious didn't seem interested in questioning.  
  
"I should do it," Buffy said. "You stay with Willow."  
  
William took his place at Willow's side again while Buffy made the call. Xander was the one who answered, sounding very sleepy. "Xander?"  
  
"Buffy?" he yawned. "What's up?"  
  
"I've got some bad news." Buffy sniffed a bit through the tale, but she was able to keep under control. Xander was absolutely speechless. "Are you still there?" she finally asked.  
  
"Yeah," he said, his voice cracking. "It's just . . . there's been so much death this last year. How is Willow taking it?"  
  
"She's not. I'd better go back to her."  
  
"Do you need me to come over?"  
  
"No. But thank you."  
  
As she hung up, Zachary came into the room.  
  
"Miss Summers," the young man began. "I hope you didn't mind me staying with Dawn. I didn't think she should be alone."  
  
Buffy patted his arm. "No. I'm glad you were here."  
  
"I'll stay as long as you need me. I phoned my mom and let her know what happened."  
  
"Fine." Vaguely, Buffy realized that she should call Zachary's mom and thank her for her understanding. But she didn't know when she could face it. Talking to Xander had been hard enough.  
  
After the sun rose, William forced them all to eat eggs, with yet more sweet tea. Buffy supposed that tea was the British version of chicken soup. No one said anything. They were all too lost in their own thoughts. It seemed like such a cheap death, to be murdered for a few dollars. How much could Tara really have been carrying? Had she survived a hell god, only to die like this?  
  
When the time came to go to the morgue, Buffy and Xander accompanied Willow. Anya felt she couldn't face it. Dawn couldn't either. William wanted to go, but the daylight would have made it difficult. So, Buffy asked him to stay and keep an eye on Dawn.  
  
At the morgue, a technician and a policeman escorted them. Both men were very serious and silent as they led the way down a series of corridors. Xander and Buffy walked on either side of Willow, their arms looped through hers to give her courage. As the technician opened the metal drawer that contained Tara's remains, the policeman said sternly, "Now, don't touch anything. Her body is evidence."  
  
Evidence. Willow let the words sink into her. Then she looked at the policeman darkly for a moment. She considered throwing him aside with a magical wave of her hand. But she didn't. Instead she leaned over Tara's cold body and remembered what it had been like to hold her and kiss her. She wanted so much to touch her. But she knew that the body was not really Tara anymore. Tara was gone. The essence that had been her, was no longer in residence.  
  
On the trip back to Buffy's, Willow was no longer able to hold back the hot tears that had been torturing her eyes. She seemed to be in a state of shock again by the time they got back. William met them at the door and immediately escorted Willow to her room to rest.  
  
"I can't believe it," Xander said, when he and Buffy were alone. "I just can't."  
  
"There are arrangements that need to be made . . ." Buffy began.  
  
"Anya and I will take care of that. Anya actually. She's good at organizing and she says it's the least we can do."  
  
"And with your wedding coming up . . ." Buffy said. She dragged herself into the livingroom and threw herself onto the couch. She felt more tired than she had ever been in her life.  
  
"Anya and I have decided to postpone the wedding. We don't feel right doing it now because of Tara." He took a seat on the couch next to her and leaned forward over his clasped hands.  
  
Buffy tried to find the right thing to say, but she came up empty. She didn't blame them. It wasn't the right time for a wedding.  
  
"We'll just put it off for a little while. Course, we'll lose our deposit on the hall. But at least we'll be a few dollars ahead. So if we need cash for Tara's funeral, we'll have it."  
  
Canceling a wedding to help pay for a funeral. What had their world come to, Buffy wondered.  
  
"Well," Xander said, getting up. "Since you and William have things under control, I'll be going. Are you gonna head down to Lindemann Avenue tonight?"  
  
"I suppose I should, though I really don't want to. You guys don't have to come if you don't want to. If that Ledic guy is right, there won't be an attack tonight. Tomorrow is when I'll need you."  
  
"Tomorrow. I think that would be better for us. That is . . . if you're sure you'll be all right on your own."  
  
"Yeah." At that point she already felt pretty much alone. What were a few demons added into the mix?  
  
"You know one of us is going to have to call Giles," Xander said as he opened the door.  
  
"I will," Buffy said. "I owe him a call anyway."  
  
"If you need anything, you know where to find us."  
  
"Yes," Buffy said. And closed the door after him.  
  
It was afternoon by then in Sunnydale. Buffy didn't know what the time difference was between the U.K. and California. But she figured it might be early evening there. She was hoping that Giles would be home because she didn't know what kind of message to leave on his answering machine.  
  
"Hello?" Giles said, snapping up the phone on the third ring.  
  
Buffy felt her voice catch. "Giles?"  
  
"Buffy?" Giles said. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's Tara," Buffy said. This time she wasn't able to hold back the tears as she told the story. Her sleeves became soaked as she wiped them across her face. "Willow's taking it bad. Dawn too. I'm not doing so well myself."  
  
"So I hear."  
  
"If it wasn't for William, I don't know what we'd all do."  
  
There was a pause on the other side of the line. "William?"  
  
In the midst of the terrible news, Buffy had forgotten the other news that she hadn't told him. She sighed reflexively before she took up the narrative again. After everything else that had happened, this part now seemed easy. "I haven't told you yet, but . . . Spike and I became . . . well, more than friends."  
  
Another pause on Giles's side. "Anya did hint rather heavily about something like that. But I was hoping to hear it from you." He'd been planning on giving her a great warning speech when she finally told him. But right then with Tara dying, it didn't seem proper.  
  
"Well, it's true. We started a sort of flirtation just before you left and after you were gone it got more serious. I didn't tell anyone till around New Year's. Then it sort of came out on its own."  
  
"I see. So, Spike is the William you were referring to. Anya intimated that he'd moved in."  
  
OK, Buffy thought, now how to explain the rest of the story? "Yeah, well. He did. But William isn't exactly Spike." She leaned her head against the wall as she told him the next part of the story.  
  
"So . . . Spike's chip no longer functions," Giles said.  
  
"No. But considering what a wuss William is, that doesn't seem to be a problem."  
  
"A . . . wuss?" Giles said. He couldn't believe he'd heard right. He would have cleaned his glasses if he'd been able to balance the portable phone better. "William the Bloody . . . a wuss?"  
  
"Well . . . actually William the human wasn't real bloody. He was a poet. A bad poet, from what I gather. And a bit of a momma's boy Willow thinks."  
  
"A poet?"  
  
"Yeah. You should hear Dawn's boyfriend and him quote the stuff to each other."  
  
"Dawn has a boyfriend?"  
  
"That's another piece of news I guess. Anyway. I wanted to ask . . . I mean, I know you wanted me to do all this growing up and all. And that's why you went away." Buffy tried to blink back a new round of tears. "But I could really use your support right now. Willow is just totaled and Spike's only half here . . . It's like having him, but not having him."  
  
What an extraordinary statement, Giles thought. It sounded as if things between Buffy and Spike had moved quite a lot. She obviously considered him a major part of her support system now. And it started before he left? Why hadn't he noticed? She'd gone off patrolling a lot on her own after she'd been resurrected. Had she begun to see Spike then? Why hadn't he realized something was up? "Of course, Buffy," he said. "I'll be there as soon as I can. It may be a couple of days though."  
  
"Just as long as you come," Buffy sniffed.  
  
"Of course. And in the meantime, please give all my sympathies to Willow."  
  
"I will."  
  
Upstairs, William had Willow sitting on the bed in her room. He rocked her against his shoulder and smoothed her hair back as if she were a little child. He let her talk and cry as much as she needed to.  
  
"She was so cold," Willow sniffed. "They wouldn't let me touch her. But I could see she wasn't there anyway. She was still so pretty. I wanted her so much. But she wasn't there. What am I going to do, William? What am I gonna to do without her?"  
  
William wanted so much to give her a wise answer. But he knew there was none. All he could do was let her cry on.  
  
  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy went on her own down to Lindemann Avenue that night, leaving William in charge of both Dawn and Willow. He walked her to the door, looking uncertain as she tucked the diamond away in her pocket and shouldered the ray gun.  
  
"Do you . . . Do you want me to come with you?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
Buffy saw that he was afraid. Yet he still made the offer. Had concern for her overridden his basic instincts? "No," she said. His lack of ability would get in her way. If only he were "her" Spike. Then she would have agreed. "You stay here and keep an eye on Willow and Dawn."  
  
"I will," he said.  
  
For a split second Buffy thought she saw an edge of determination in his blue eyes, like the year before when Spike had promised to protect Dawn till the end of the world. But the look disappeared quickly and only William remained. She took his hand and squeezed it, earning a look of confusion from him. Then she walked away to retrieve Spike's motorcycle.  
  
Willow woke up sometime after Buffy left. Her sleeping mind had come up with a desperate plan. Most of her spell books had been turned over to Anya for safekeeping at the Magic Box. But there was still a secret cache of them in the basement under the stairs. These were the ones she'd used to help bring Buffy back. She'd kept them there so they would be hidden from Dawn. She'd meant to turn those over to Anya as well, she really had. But it hadn't really seemed like they would be much of a temptation.  
  
Of course, she couldn't just go wandering into the basement. It might raise suspicions. She needed a cover story. Laundry seemed just the thing. She collected a load of dirty clothes from her hamper and trudged downstairs. William and Dawn were watching television. She tried to duck directly into the kitchen, but William was up and following her immediately.  
  
"Can I get you something to eat?" he offered.  
  
"No, I'm not hungry," Willow said, continuing resolutely to the basement.  
  
But William was a man on a mission. He wouldn't leave her. "Some tea then?"  
  
"No. I'm just going to do some laundry downstairs."  
  
"Let me help you," he said, trying to take her burden from her.  
  
It was obvious that William wasn't going to leave her alone, unless she gave him a purpose. "You know," she said coming to a stop. "I am kind of hungry. And I could use some tea."  
  
"I'll make them for you at once."  
  
"You do that. And in the meantime, I'll get my laundry started. Don't bother calling me. I'll come up once I have everything on the way. All right?"  
  
"Right!" William said, obviously glad to have a job to do.  
  
Willow put her laundry in the washing machine. Then she snuck under the stairs and pulled her books out. There had been water damage to most of the things in the box because of the flood in the basement the fall before. But the book she wanted was still readable, even though the pages were brittle and the cover warped.  
  
The spell she was looking for wasn't a resurrection spell. Tara hadn't died from magic as Buffy had and if brought back would have been a zombie of questionable makeup. Willow wanted Tara . . . the real Tara. So, the best solution was to call her back as a spirit.  
  
Tara could be brought back with freedom of choice and even a limited ability to hold corporeal form for perhaps hours at a time. Of course she would also have the ability of being visible and invisible. Willow didn't know if she would have any of her Wiccan powers anymore. But she would probably have other ghostly ones.  
  
The raising of spirits was an ancient art, simpler generally than trying to raise a body with a specific spirit. It was easier to raise a body or a spirit. And it was Tara's spirit after all, that Willow was in love with. This spell would make her mostly a spirit, but at least they could also be together physically at least to some extent.  
  
The only thing was that she needed a certain kind of a stone called jet. It was black and glasslike, very rare. In fact, jet isn't a stone at all, it's actually ancient petrified wood. In Wiccan magic it is said to be able to contain part of a soul or essence. Willow knew that most jet sold in trade is not really authentic. Anya didn't carry it because it was actually quite expensive and most of her customers didn't want to pay that much. She could have Anya order it, but Willow didn't want to wait weeks on this. The only place she knew to get this stone was in Rack's inner office. He'd had various stones and crystals on a small cabinet/bookshelf in the corner. She remembered seeing at least one small piece of jet there. So, she had to go to Rack's.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
As Ledic had predicted, the Fire demons did not attack that night. Buffy told Masichuvio of her meeting with Ledic and of his warning about the next evening.  
  
"He sounds like an old Fire demon, devoted to the old ways," Masichuvio said.  
  
"Yeah, well," Buffy said. "I don't know many Fire demons, so I couldn't tell you hold old he looked. But he said they would attack tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet him afterwards. I'll keep you informed of what he says."  
  
When Buffy got home, she found the other three comfortably situated in the livingroom. Dawn had fallen asleep on Willow's shoulder. "How's it going?" she asked gently.  
  
"Fine," William whispered. "Can I get you some tea or something?"  
  
Buffy smiled. William's obsession with tea was sort of cute. "No. You've done enough. I'll help myself," she said moving off.  
  
"Please," William said jumping to his feet and following her. "Let me help."  
  
He put the kettle on while she got herself a snack. They were low on groceries again. Peanut butter was the best she could do. When she looked up, she found him studying her intently.  
  
"How are you?" he asked, concern in his eyes.  
  
"A little tired," she answered sitting down.  
  
"And how was . . . tonight?"  
  
"No big. The bad guys didn't show. That Ledic guy was right." Buffy swallowed hard, her sandwich seemed very dry. Maybe it was just that the bread was too old.  
  
William stirred sugar into her tea and served it to her. She didn't like sugar in her tea, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that. He'd basically been holding the household together since they'd gotten the bad news.  
  
He sat across from her. "You look tired."  
  
"Haven't slept much." And she didn't much like sleeping alone either. She missed having his body next to her at night. She looked up and found him staring at her very hard. Immediately he looked down. How shy he seemed. Almost little boyish. There was some of that in Spike too, but in his case when it showed up it was refreshing. In William, it was getting tiresome. He was obviously starting to feel something toward her. The pull between them was getting stronger. But while Spike might act on such a thing, William never would. She had a sneaking suspicion that this man sitting across from her was, at least in his own mind, a virgin. If anyone was going to make a first move, it was going to have to be her.  
  
Buffy reached across the counter island with her right hand and wrapped her fingers snuggly around William's left hand as it lay there on the cool white surface. "I want to thank you for everything you've done," she said. "We couldn't have gotten through any of this without you."  
  
William looked first at their joined hands and then into her eyes. "Of course. I'd do anything for you. You know that."  
  
He almost sounded like Spike, Buffy thought. She squeezed his hand and received a slight smile. Then she pushed her plate out of the way and took his other hand as well. They sat for a long time, hands and hearts joined shyly together.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
  
The next morning, Willow insisted that she was going to school as usual. "If I stay home, I'll go crazy," she explained.  
  
Neither Buffy nor William was happy about it. But how could they possibly hold her back?  
  
With a brave smile, Willow set off. But she didn't head for school. She headed for Rack's.  
  
It had been some time since she'd been there but she was still able to sense where it was. This time she felt the pull in the direction of the Bronze. She got about halfway there when she ran into Amy, who in actuality had been following her.  
  
"Willow," Amy exclaimed, grabbing her friend into a hug. "I'm so glad I ran into you. I've only just heard. It was on the news this morning. A mugging? Oh my God, poor Tara! I'm so sorry. I was going to come looking for you today to give you my sympathy. What are you doing in this part of town?"  
  
"I'm going to see Rack."  
  
"Rack?"  
  
"I just feel like I need the company of other Wiccans right now. Besides, I need something for the pain I'm feeling."  
  
"Oh, I don't blame you," Amy said. "You want to come with me? I was just going there."  
  
"All right."  
  
Amy hooked her arm through Willow's and led her along. "He still wants you in his coven, you know. I'm sure he'll ask you about it. Do you think you might join this time?"  
  
"Oh, I think I might," Willow said.  
  
Rack was thrilled to have his strawberry girl return. In welcoming, he promised both of the young witches an especially good high. "We'll bring Willow into our coven at once," he said. "But we'll make it official on Imbolc."  
  
Willow gave him a tired smile and stood aside as he led Amy into a magic euphoria. With them so occupied, it was easy to slip the little piece of jet into her pocket.  
  
Then it was her turn. And for a while, the world slipped blissfully away. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to escape into this magical never- never-world. All of her problems were gone. She could even convince herself for a while that Tara wasn't dead. She dreamed they were on a sunny picnic in the park, lying on the ground together lazily making love. 


	58. Chapter Fifty-Eight - Return

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT  
  
Return  
  
  
  
When Xander and Anya arrived that evening with Jonathan in tow, they announced that they'd arranged Tara's funeral for the next day.  
  
"Where's Willow?" Xander asked.  
  
"She's resting," Buffy said, handing out crossbows. "She went to school today, even though I asked her not to go. She came home pretty out of it. I'm afraid it was too much for her."  
  
"Where's Dawn and William?"  
  
"Dawn's upstairs in her room talking on the phone to Zachary, who's only been gone for about forty-five minutes. And William is in the kitchen doing the dinner dishes."  
  
"Never realized he was such a homebody," Xander said. "Well, we may have lost our second best fighter, but you seem to have gained a maid."  
  
Buffy hit him on the arm.  
  
"Ow! Just joking here!"  
  
"Well, it's not funny." Not at all. She needed Spike, all of him. The night before it had been sweet holding hands. But she was kind of past that. She wanted more, including the rough and tumble love making they sometimes took part in. She needed all of Spike. The human William had Spike's love and loyalty and tenderness. And the vamp had his passion and fearlessness and fighting experience. Each was important to her life and work. "Come on, let's go." She said, throwing the ray gun over her shoulder. "I'm really in the mood to kick some demon ass."  
  
Up in her room, Willow was preparing the spell. She had created a magic circle on Joyce's bureau made of tiny candles. At the center was a crystal platform. The platform was surrounded by various magic herbs. The jet stone was lying on top of the platform, wrapped round and round with strands of Tara's hair rescued from an old hairbrush. Underneath these items were a short love note from Tara and a picture of her.  
  
Willow began the ceremony by calling on the gods of the underworld. Then she lit the items on the crystal platform. Slowly they caught fire.  
  
"Ionda cerema klephara se-tom," Willow chanted. "Hilara misara hineret tu- pom. Release her essence to our world. Give her free will so that she may decide when to come and go. Give her physical form, when she wants physical form. Allow her to be seen or unseen. Ionda cerema klephara se- tom. Hilara misara hineret tu-pom."  
  
The chanting continued till every item on the platform had burned. Then Willow pounded the ashes with her hand and released them into the air. Tara's spirit was supposed to appear as they fell to the ground. But it didn't. Nothing at all seemed to happen.  
  
Willow's mouth moved spasmodically for a moment. Then she threw herself onto the bed and began to cry anew.  
  
Tara was gone. She was really gone.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
That night the Fire demons showed up for yet another battle. And yet again they were turned back by the Shadows. It seemed that with each battle the Shadows became stronger and more confident while the Fire demons became less resilient. At the end of the evening, both Buffy and Masichuvio wondered if they would be continuing this battle. Or if they would give it up.  
  
Ledic as it turned out, had the answer. He came late to his meeting with Buffy. Xander, Anya, and Jonathan stayed at the mouth of the appointed alley, keeping watch while Buffy went in alone.  
  
Ledic appeared from a corridor of debris at the back of the alley. "Doc was there tonight," he said gravely. "He was underground in the tunnels. He said he was working hard on the second stage of his plan and he didn't care anymore about that one building that still belonged to the Shadows. He wants all of the Fire demons in good shape for the Imbolc celebration. I think he intends to open that portal that you talked about. From now on, the warehouse is to be the center of his operations. And he wants the Fire demons there as well. I think his followers have put a magical field around it."  
  
Buffy thanked him for the information and agreed to meet him again on Wednesday. By then she hoped Giles would be there and maybe she would have a working plan.  
  
She went back to Masichuvio afterward and told him about the meeting. "I believe Ledic," she said.  
  
"I will have my people keep an eye on the warehouse," Masichuvio said. "Whatever they are doing there cannot be good for my people or yours."  
  
"Look," Buffy said, pulling the diamond of Gunab out of her pocket and snapping it into place on the gun. "Take this. If you're going to spy on the Fire demons you may need it. And tomorrow I've got to bury one of my friends. So I may not be able to get here. But I'll be back on Wednesday night."  
  
Masichuvio nodded. "One of your warriors?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I understand. Thank you for the weapon. When you need it, we will return it."  
  
Without knowing why, Buffy patted Masichuvio's arm. It was a simple yet intimate move between comrades-in-arms. The mouth of a Shadow is not made for smiling. So, Masichuvio could not reciprocate in that way. Instead he nodded again, a little deeper this time to show respect. Shadows did not readily trust others, but Masichuvio had come to accept the Slayer and her friends as part of their circle.  
  
When Buffy got home, she was bone tired. Everyone was already in bed and asleep. Even William. He was doing one of his deep sleeps, except that as William he continued to breath even though he didn't have to. He didn't stir as she came in, so she stood at the entrance of the livingroom and watched him sleep. How much she wanted to curl up next to him. But she knew William would be horrified at her breaking such a convention. There was nothing to do but go to bed alone. She didn't even stop for a snack.  
  
Buffy didn't realize it, but she had not been alone in the livingroom with William. An invisible spirit had been sitting next to him when she came in. It was Tara. Willow's spell had worked, but Tara had used her free will and had not appeared to her on command. She saw Buffy come in looking exhausted from her work and she saw the longing on her face as she stood watching her lover sleep.  
  
Tara allowed herself to become corporeal as she pulled William's blanket up around him. Then she released herself once again to invisibility. She still had some of her Wiccan abilities and she used them to reach out to Spike's mind with her own. This action was actually easier in her present form. In seconds she found herself in the mists of his mind. And within a few steps she was once again at what appeared to be the door of Spike's crypt. But it was really a part of his mind that he had walled off.  
  
There was silence this time. The cries of agony that had been caused by Warren's tortures were gone. The figure of William did not appear to bar her from the door. She tried to open it, but could not. Still she knew that Spike was on the other side and could hear her.  
  
"Spike," Tara said, addressing his subconscious. "It's Tara. I know you're in there." She paused, but there was no answer from inside the crypt. "I died you know. You remember that guy Doc? Well, he killed me. I think he's trying to take over Willow. And unfortunately, she's already becoming attached to Rack again. She called me back in spirit form tonight, acting out of emotion just as she did when she wiped out my memory and led us all on that trip through amnesia. I realized that if I appeared to her on command, it would just send her further on this power trip that she's into. I wanted to be with her again. But if she starts to think that she has all this power over life and death, she might start getting into some kind of god complex. I was afraid for a while after she brought Buffy back that she might do that. But when she heard that she'd pulled Buffy out of heaven instead of hell . . . well it tempered her a bit. I think the best thing I can do now is try and divide her from Rack and his influence and destroy whatever Doc is up to. Willow's got to see what this kind of stuff leads to. And I'm going to need your help and Buffy's.  
  
"Speaking of Buffy . . . she really misses you, you know. How much longer do you plan to hide away in there? William is nice and all. But he's not you . . . Are you afraid you'll hurt someone without the chip? I don't think you will. William is not really William anymore, you know. He's not human. He's you. And the reason he can control his urges is because you can. So, I don't think you need to hide away in there any longer. You should be able to come out anytime now."  
  
Tara paused again to see if there would be a reaction. But there wasn't. "Well, anyway. At least I've got you to talk to. I heard you telling Dawn about my funeral tomorrow. So, I think I'll wait until afterward to tell anyone else that I'm back. We'll keep it as our secret for a bit, don't you think?" 


	59. Chapter Fifty-Nine - Whispers

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE  
  
Whispers  
  
  
  
Tara's funeral the next evening was a simple and solemn affair with only a small service at the side of her grave. Willow and Dawn stood with their arms around each other crying openly. Zachary was just to their right, looking much more serious than his fifteen years. Anya tried not to cry, but ultimately failed. She leaned into Xander who occasionally buried his face in her hair. Buffy was able to control herself pretty well, but it was difficult. She stood with her head bowed low and her hands dropping down. William stood at her side and as the chapel minister began his prayers, he reached for her hand and held onto it all the way through.  
  
Buffy grasped his hand tightly in return and didn't realize for some time that she was using full slayer strength. He seemed unconcerned, though, for he was returning her grasp with equal force. She looked up at him, searching for some hint of Spike. But his face was still possessed by William.  
  
When it was done, Willow said she wanted to remain there alone. "I'll meet you at the house," she promised.  
  
The others understood her need for privacy. One by one, they touched her or gave her an encouraging hug. Till finally, only Willow was left. Or at least that's what she thought. For in truth, Tara was there. She still wouldn't appear to her lover, but she reached out to Willow's mind as she had with Spike's the night before. Only in this case she couldn't get through. She could hear some of Willow's thoughts, but she couldn't make herself heard. Willow believed she had all the answers and so wouldn't let in any outside influence.  
  
Tara heard Willow's plans to leave the cemetery and go directly to Rack's for more magical comfort. "No," Tara whispered. "Stay here with me or go back to Buffy's."  
  
But Willow would not hear. She had come to think that magic was the answer to all of the world's problems. And if it couldn't fix things in this case, then at least it would lessen the pain. Resolutely she turned from Tara's grave toward Rack's. Tara realized that she had no intention of going back to Buffy's at all that night. She wanted to lose herself perhaps permanently in the pain killing properties of magic. Tara didn't follow because she couldn't bear to see what went on there.  
  
Buffy, of course, didn't have an inkling of Willow's intentions. She waited up for her with William. One hour passed, then two. Finally Buffy could stand it no longer. "I'm going to go look for her," she said.  
  
"Can I come?" William asked.  
  
"No. You stay here with Dawn and make sure she gets to bed so she can go to school tomorrow."  
  
William nodded and brushed back the hair from Buffy's face. His eyes were full of concern. What he really wanted to do was kiss her. But that was something he didn't think quite proper. Buffy gave him a trembling smile instead.  
  
By that hour, the graveyard was abandoned. Even the vamps seemed to be off elsewhere. Tara's grave was filled in and the few bouquets they'd brought were sitting on top. Tara's spirit was still present. But of course Buffy couldn't see her.  
  
"Where did Willow go?" Buffy asked the grave. "And what can I do for her?"  
  
Tara reached out to Buffy's mind and found it very open. "There's nothing you can do for Willow tonight," she whispered to her friend's mind. "She's gone where you can't follow."  
  
Fear gripped Buffy as she realized. "Rack."  
  
"Tomorrow we'll see what we can do. Go home now."  
  
Buffy obeyed the little voice in the back of her mind. It sounded like Tara. But that was something Buffy knew wasn't possible. Instead she believed it to be the voice of her own sub-conscious, telling her to be sensible and get back to Dawn. She had no idea that Tara really had been whispering to her and was even then following her home.  
  
"I got Dawn to bed," William said when he met Buffy at the door. "Did you find her?"  
  
"No. But I have a feeling I know where she went. It's just not a place I can go to." Buffy began pacing the room. "How am I supposed to deal with all this? How am I supposed to hold it all together all by myself?" Tears started escaping from her eyes.  
  
William pulled her into his arms to comfort her. But before he knew what was happening, Buffy had pulled his mouth down to hers and was kissing him passionately, her tongue searching his mouth and her body pressing into his. A moan escaped from him as he felt the electricity pass between them. Buffy took this as a sign to go further. Her hands moved down his back and she rubbed intimately against him. His hands started to reciprocate, touching her in places that William had never touched a woman. He felt himself respond and as he did, he pulled away in shock, gasping for air. He was amazed at the power she had over him.  
  
Buffy looked into his eyes and saw fear. This was more than she could take right then. She pushed him aside and ran upstairs, the tears flooding down. She was tired of being without him. Lonelier than she could ever remember being. She closed the door to her room and fell against it, still crying. The lights were out, but she didn't make any move to turn them on. The dark fitted her mood much better.  
  
Downstairs, William was still in shock, at what they'd been doing, at what they were evidently about to do. But even more than that, he suddenly felt very tired. Standing at his side unseen, Tara was muttering an unheard spell. It was pulling him to the couch, urging him to sleep. For, it was during sleep that he would be more susceptible to suggestion. So would Buffy.  
  
Upstairs, Buffy had moved to her bed and was now crying into her pillow. Tara, in her invisible state, had no trouble walking through the door of the room. She sat at Buffy's side and spoke softly to her mind. The Slayer was full of pain and exhaustion, too tired to fight back. "Sleep now," Tara crooned. "I think it's time you and Spike had a talk. He won't listen to anyone but you. I've tried talking to him but it hasn't worked. So, you must go. He needs to hear how you feel. Do you sense his mind? He's sleeping just downstairs. Reach out for him. What do you see?"  
  
Buffy felt as if she were in a dream. "Mist. I see mist," she mumbled.  
  
"Good. Now keep going on till you find yourself in the cemetery and then at Spike's crypt. Do you see it?"  
  
"Mmm," Buffy answered.  
  
"Good. Now go and talk to him."  
  
Buffy walked up to the crypt door in her mind and knocked. There was no answer and the door wouldn't open. Still, she knew Spike was on the other side. "Spike?" she said. "I need you. I don't think I can go on anymore. I . . . I'm all alone here. And I don't want to be. I don't want to be without you anymore. I need you to come back. I need you to be annoying and give me advice when I don't want it. I need you to hold me and make love to me and fight at my side. William is nice. But I need all of you. Every irritating, wonderful bit of you. Please come back. I love you." Buffy started crying again. "I love you."  
  
Buffy fell into a deep sleep after that and Tara left her.  
  
A little while later, the door to her room opened and someone crept quietly in. He slipped off his shoes and his clothes, letting them fall in a haphazard line from the door to the bed. Then he pulled back the covers and wrapped himself around Buffy's sleeping form. She awoke to the feel of soft kisses on her neck and cool hands wandering over her body, making love to her. "Spike," she whispered.  
  
"Shhh," he said, nuzzling her ear. "I love you too, Slayer."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The high that Rack administered to Willow that night was the most powerful that he could deliver. He knew this was their one chance. They might never get another. Willow was a very powerful witch. If she realized for one second the truth about what they had done to Tara or what they intended to do to Buffy through her, there would be no controlling her. In fact, they and their entire plan might be destroyed. So the first step was to basically drug Willow through magic into a state of semi-consciousness. Then she would be open to suggestion.  
  
Rack led Willow through a series of highs, each one more exotic and enticing than the one before. He showed her different dimensions and introduced her to the planetary worlds of the stars. She even imagined herself in bliss with Tara and in a state of limitless magical power. Of course this was all illusion. But Willow was not quite aware of that.  
  
At last Rack felt she was totally disconnected from the real world. That's when he called for Doc. Rack left them alone so Doc could cast the next spell. First Doc set incense and crystals burning at five spots around her, each spot supposedly representing the point in a pentagram. Then he approached his prey.  
  
At that point, Willow was imagining herself floating among the stars in the coldness of endless night. Doc closed his eyes and placed his hands gently on either side of her head, the lightness of his touch was a study in opposites when compared to the cruelty of his plan.  
  
"Space is a lonely place," he whispered to her. Touching her allowed him to see what she saw and to feel what she felt. What he was doing was a cross between the mind contacting spell that Tara had used on Buffy and Spike, and the mind wiping Willow had performed on Tara, and the amnesia spell that she had performed on the Scoobies. However, Doc had had a thousand years of experience in this sort of thing. So he could also convince people of things and make them act in ways that they never would outside of his influence. Doc did not have the raw magic power of Willow. But he was quite gifted in certain arts, this one in particular.  
  
"You are alone now, aren't you?" Doc said softly. "So sad. You're so young, with endless years stretching on ahead of you. Years filled with loneliness. Can you feel it? The endless loneliness? Tara's gone. And there will never be anyone else like her. Never. Poor lonely Willow. Endlessly alone."  
  
Doc paused so he could sense more completely what Willow was feeling. He didn't see her lower lip trembling, but he could hear her crying out in her mind, a piercing cry of unspeakable loss.  
  
"Yes, yes," Doc continued. "You cry. But who hears you? Do any of your friends? No. Xander is too caught up with Anya. And Buffy is too caught up in her new life with Dawn and Spike . . . a life that you gave her, I might add. Does Buffy really appreciate it? If not for you, she'd be cold and dead in the ground. Has she ever thanked you? Hmm? Has she?"  
  
"No," Willow said, ". . . Well, yes. In a way. She did, but she didn't mean it."  
  
"Didn't mean it? Explain."  
  
"She said thank you at first. But that was because we all thought she was in Hell. That's why we brought her back. But it turned out she wasn't there."  
  
"Indeed? And where was?" Doc had assumed she was in Hell too. Or perhaps in another dimension.  
  
"She was in Heaven. She was actually sorry that we'd brought her back."  
  
A wicked smile came to Doc's lips. He'd been thinking that he would try and twist it so that Willow would blame Buffy for Tara's death. But this was so much better because it played off something that was already in her mind. "So, she was sorry you brought her back. What a very sad shame. Heaven is a wonderful place. She must miss it a lot."  
  
"But she has Spike now."  
  
"Oh, but how can compare? Does she love him? Has she said that?"  
  
"Well, she's never actually said it . . ."  
  
"Then she probably doesn't. Love isn't the kind of thing you keep to yourself. She's probably just involved with him because she's lonely for Heaven. They don't have what you and Tara had. How could they? They could never be as close as the two of you. Or be as thoroughly in love. Don't you agree?"  
  
Willow couldn't answer. Buffy and Spike hadn't been together long but . . . did that mean they didn't love each other . . . couldn't love each other? She couldn't think with Doc's voice whispering in her mind.  
  
"You're questioning. Uncertain. But you know I'm right. Buffy and Spike don't love each other," Doc droned on. "Spike merely hangs around because he feels guilty for not having saved Dawn as he promised. He would probably prefer to be free. And Buffy only has him around to make her feel less lonely for Heaven, to pretend she has a life. What she really wants is to return to heaven. Don't you think? Buffy wants to return to Heaven?" He mentally prodded her.  
  
"Buffy wants to return to heaven," Willow repeated. But her mind was still questioning.  
  
"That's right. Buffy wants to return to Heaven and you want Tara to return to you. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could grant both wishes? Wouldn't it?"  
  
Willow moved her mouth but nothing came out.  
  
"Of course it would," Doc answered. "Everybody would be happy then. You and Tara would be together. Buffy would be happy in Heaven. Spike would be free. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could undo the spell that bought Buffy back? That would turn back time, you know. And then, Tara would be returned to you and Buffy would be returned to heaven. Don't you think that would be a good idea? It would really be the right thing to do, after all. And it would make everyone happy."  
  
Willow said nothing. Her brain was having trouble accepting this. It was a seductive idea but still . . .  
  
Doc sensed her doubt. No matter. This was only their first session. He hadn't expected to turn her to his way of thinking right away. It was the repeating of the message that would do it. And they had a week and a half before Imbolc. Of course he was lying. Undoing the resurrection spell would not alter time and bring Tara back. But what did that matter? They were only planning to keep Willow alive through the undoing of the spell and the opening of at least one of the Hell portals. If Glory couldn't return, at least he would complete part of her plan. And in the process he would return Buffy to the world of the dead and use the magic of her friend Willow to help open the portal. It was a plan with irony and neatness. Doc liked things neat. 


	60. Chapter Sixty - Reunions

CHAPTER SIXTY  
  
Reunions  
  
  
  
Sometime just before sunrise, Buffy awoke. Spike was spooned behind her nudging and touching her provocatively. "Are you trying to tell me something," she asked over her shoulder.  
  
"Just suggesting," he said nuzzling her ear.  
  
They made love lazily. Afterwards, Buffy put her head across his chest.  
  
"Do you remember anything?" she asked, as she ran her hand up and down his side. It was good to be able to touch him again and wind herself around him. How she'd hungered for the feel of his naked flesh against hers.  
  
"Through a haze. But it got clearer as the days went on. God, William was such a wanker."  
  
"I don't know. He was kind of cute. He reminded me a lot of Zachary."  
  
"Yeah . . . they're both wankers."  
  
"Spike! Zachary's been awfully supportive of Dawn."  
  
"OK . . . OK. Gotta give him that. When Dawn was up against it, he was there."  
  
"You remember what happened to Tara?"  
  
"Yeah. But having William out there kept me from having to deal with it. Course, I was really flattered that I was the first person Tara visited after she got back."  
  
"Got back? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Tara is back. You do know that, don't you? She's the one who brought us together last night."  
  
Buffy pulled herself up so she could look into Spike's blue eyes. He didn't appear to be joking. "What?"  
  
"Last night. Tara put me to sleep and then walked with you into my mind and left you there. You told me how you needed me and loved me and then you fell asleep. But I came in here and woke you up and we . . ."  
  
"Yes, I remember the rest quite clearly. But the part before that was a just dream."  
  
"Which we both experienced. Did you or did you not say you loved me?"  
  
"Yes, but . . ."  
  
"How could I know that unless we were in the same dream, or under the same spell?"  
  
"You mean . . . Tara was really here?"  
  
"That wasn't the first time, either. Willow called her back in spirit form the night before last. Afterward she came into my subconscious and said she hadn't appeared to Willow because she didn't want her to get caught up in a God complex. She figured that would make Willow really go off her bird. She also said Willow had started in with Rack again."  
  
"Then . . . last night by her grave . . . I didn't just imagine hearing her voice in my head."  
  
"Nope. You were hearing the witch herself."  
  
"You don't think she's still here, do you?" Buffy looked around half expecting Tara to appear.  
  
"Right here? Not likely. Can't imagine Tara going in for peep shows. But she might be somewhere in the house."  
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Instinctively, Buffy jumped into a sitting position and pulled the sheet up in front of her. "Who is it?" she asked breathlessly.  
  
"Who do you think?" Dawn's irritated voice answered from the other side of the door. "It looks like Willow's bed hasn't been slept in and William's not downstairs. And . . . I heard some strange noises coming from your room last night. Is Spike back?"  
  
Buffy and Spike looked at each other sheepishly. "Oops," Buffy said.  
  
"I think you should go out to your sister," Spike said. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."  
  
"Right," Buffy said, leaping for her night gown and robe.  
  
Dawn was waiting just outside the door when Buffy appeared.  
  
"So, is Spike back?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Yes. Last night."  
  
"Thought so."  
  
"Dawn, I'm sorry, I . . ."  
  
"Don't sweat it. It's not like you two were ever quiet. It's just with William here I was getting used to the silence and . . ."  
  
Buffy held her hand up. "Please. This is so not a conversation I want to have. We'll try and be more quiet from now on. I promise."  
  
"Look, I'm happy about Spike. But where's Willow?"  
  
"She's not here. I think she stayed over at Rack's last night."  
  
This was something Dawn didn't want to hear. "Rack's?"  
  
"Yes. Spike and I will try and find her today. Or rather tonight, before we go downtown. It'll be all right. You go get ready for school and I'll get breakfast."  
  
Dawn did as she was told. But hearing about Rack didn't give her much confidence. Without thinking she rubbed her left arm. For her, the name Rack meant broken bones and attacking demons.  
  
When Spike came down to the kitchen he found Buffy busily burning some frozen waffles in the toaster. "Hmm," he said disapprovingly, looking over her shoulder.  
  
"This is where I miss sweet tempered William and his endless cups of tea. You don't think you could get in touch with your inner human and give me some help here?"  
  
"I suppose." Gently but firmly, Spike moved her aside and slipped some more waffles into the toaster. "You get the butter and heat up the syrup."  
  
"How do you think we contact Tara," Buffy asked as she pulled things out of the refrigerator.  
  
"Don't know. But if it's like on the telly, all we have to do is call out for her. If she's in earshot she'll come."  
  
"What if Dawn hears?"  
  
"We'll give her some explanation. What do we have to lose?"  
  
They gazed at each other uncertainly across the room.  
  
"You want to do it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not bloody likely."  
  
"It was your idea."  
  
"But she's more your friend than mine."  
  
"She visited your head before she visited anyone else's."  
  
"But you're the Slayer. It's your job."  
  
Buffy pursed her lips. She felt ridiculous. This was right out of an old TV sitcom. "Tara," she said softly.  
  
"Oh, come on," Spike said crossing his arms over his chest. "Is that the best the big bad slayer can do? Even with my vampire senses, I could barely hear that."  
  
Buffy made a face at her boyfriend and ratcheted up her voice. "Tara!" she yelled.  
  
On cue, a mist appeared at the center of the kitchen. It grew in size and then began to take on shape. A smiling Tara appeared in a shimmery frock of spring green. She was visible, but not solid. You could see through her to the counter island behind. She would eventually call this her visible format, where she could be seen but not touched. She could pass through walls and floors, but not so easily as when she was invisible. The more solid her figure, the more energy it required to maintain. In full physical form she could be touched, but she couldn't move through any objects. And like Spike, she had no heartbeat. Nor did she need to breath.  
  
Buffy was speechless. Tara's name formed on her lips again, but it was hushed and barely uttered.  
  
Spike was more accepting. He'd seen a ghost or two in his day. One in China and two others in Europe. "Hey. How ya doing?" he welcomed. "Where were you just now? In some ghost never-never-land? Or were you just invisible?"  
  
"Neither, I was in Willow's room. It made me feel closer to her."  
  
"Do you know where she is?"  
  
"She went to Rack's last night. I tried to infer that to Buffy."  
  
"Well, the Slayer here got your message, but she thought it was all in her imagination. It took a bit of convincing this morning before she would believe that you were back. Do you think Red is still at Rack's?"  
  
"I was hoping she'd come in last night or early this morning. But she didn't. I suppose I should have followed her last night. But I couldn't bear to see her do that to herself."  
  
"Tara . . ." Buffy muttered again.  
  
"It's all right," Tara said with a smile. "I'm real."  
  
"No you're not," another voice sounded from behind them. The others turned around to see Dawn. The teenager had come down to breakfast smelling burned waffles and that was really all she had expected to find. "This can't be happening. It's not you."  
  
"Yes it is," Tara said. "Willow did a spell to call me back, she just doesn't know yet that it worked."  
  
Dawn walked up to the transparent Tara and put her hand through her arm. "How could she do that to you? You're here, but you're not."  
  
"I'm here," Tara said. And with that her form began to become more solid, till it took on both shape and substance. She reached out to Dawn and took her hand. Her touch wasn't cool like Spike's. It was more neutral. As she squeezed Dawn's hand, the girl's eyes began to tear. "It's all right," Tara said pulling Dawn into her arms. "It's all right. I'm not going to leave you again."  
  
Dawn held onto Tara tightly. Buffy stood behind them, wiping away a tear or two of her own.  
  
Getting Dawn off to school that day wasn't easy. She wanted to stay with Tara. But Buffy was adamant. As soon as the teenager had gone, Buffy turned to Tara and Spike and said, "So, where do we go from here?"  
  
"Well," Tara said, "I'm going to look for Willow. I'm starting to worry about her."  
  
"We were planning on looking for her after dark," Buffy said. "Spike couldn't sense out Rack's place last time. But maybe if we ride through the streets on the motorcycle, we could cover more ground and . . ."  
  
"I can go more quickly," Tara said. "I'll have to travel over the city bit by bit, but I can move very quickly when I'm invisible. And no matter how cloaked his place is, I'll be able to see it. In my present state I can see the shadows left behind by magic. I can even see the remains of the spell that Willow used to bring me back still up in her room. I will find her. And if I have to appear to her to get her attention, I will. I'll let you know what happens."  
  
"What about Xander and Anya?"  
  
"I'll let you tell them about me," Tara said. And with that, she disappeared.  
  
As it turned out, Xander was already at work by the time Buffy called his apartment. But Anya was still there. Rarely had Buffy heard the ex-demon sound so joyous. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed when she heard that their friend was now a ghost. "Really wonderful. That means Tara will be around with us as long as she wants to be. And ghosts are so handy to have around. Not the moaning, groaning, chain rattling, doom and gloom kind. They can be very tiresome. But of course Tara won't be one of those. This is a real step up for Tara in the world of the supernatural."  
  
Buffy shook her head. Anya made it sound as if Tara had gotten a job promotion.  
  
"You've got to call Xander right away. I've got his work number written here somewhere. Where is it now? It's not on the refrigerator. Now where did I put it? Oh yes, here it is, under the phone. I have it more prominently posted at the Magic Box." Anya gave Buffy the number and finished off by saying, "If they give you any trouble about talking to him, just tell them it's a family emergency. That always gets 'em. You wouldn't know it from looking at them, but construction guys can be very family oriented. Would you believe it? They're already hounding Xander about us having babies."  
  
"Yeah, OK," Buffy said.  
  
When Buffy called Xander's construction site, they hemmed and hawed about calling him to the phone. As per Anya's advice, Buffy said it was a family emergency and the man who answered the phone immediately went to fetch Xander.  
  
"Harris here," Xander said after a bit. He had his macho work voice on. Evidently they hadn't told him the nature of the call.  
  
"Xander, it's Buffy. I think you better sit down."  
  
A flash of fear went through Xander. It sounded like bad news. And if so, why was Buffy calling instead of Anya? Spike had been zapped by Warren recently. Tara had been killed. Being superstitious, Xander was afraid that something terrible might happen to his significant other next. "Is Anya all right?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, sure. She's fine. In fact, she sounds quite happy."  
  
"Happy?" That didn't make sense. "So why do I need to sit down? Is Anya pregnant?" They had planned to wait a while. But accidents happen, of course. His heart started beating wildly at the thought. Should he be happy or sad about it? Whichever it was, he'd better work himself up to being happy before he got home.  
  
"She's not pregnant that I know of. It's something else. Are you sitting down?"  
  
Xander sat down in a dusty chair off in the corner. "All right," he said. "What's happened?"  
  
"It's Tara."  
  
Xander's mind raced ahead again. What about Tara? She was dead. What could be wrong with her? Was she a vampire? No, that didn't seem likely. A zombie? Or . . . "Did Willow try and resurrect her?"  
  
"Not exactly. Willow brought her back as a ghost." Buffy did her best to explain what happened.  
  
"A ghost!" Xander didn't like the idea as much as Anya did. He didn't have any experience with spooks and he wasn't sure this was a good thing. Although Buffy's tone made it sound like it was. "Do we get a chance to see her?"  
  
"Maybe tonight. If we hear from her, I'll try and have her meet us at the Magic Box. Spike and I are going downtown tonight for that meeting with Ledic."  
  
"Spike? Does that mean he's back to his old toothsome self?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot. That's the other news."  
  
"Well, you tell old Captain Peroxide I'm glad he's back. I was getting a bit tired of William."  
  
"Me too," Buffy admitted. "See you later."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
The rest of the morning Buffy and Spike just enjoyed being together. Tara's coming back had taken the edge off the last week for them. And they hadn't yet started worrying about Willow's return to Rack's. They put away William's clothes and contemplated sandwiches for dinner. And made out for a while on the sofa.  
  
In the early afternoon a knock sounded at the door. When Buffy opened it, she found Giles with a beaten suitcase at his side. His face was pale and lined with exhaustion.  
  
"Giles!" Buffy said, running into his arms. "I'm so glad you came."  
  
"How could I stay away," he asked, "in light of everything that's happened?" He pulled away and looked at her carefully. "How are you?"  
  
"Not sure," Buffy said. "Come on inside. I've got a lot to tell you." She took up his suitcase and led the way in.  
  
Spike was leaning against the stair banister with a familiar smirk strung out across his face. "Rupert," he said.  
  
One look and Giles knew. "I take it Spike has returned to his . . . uh, usual self," he said dryly.  
  
"Just last night," Buffy said.  
  
"You might say that Tara acted as our matchmaker," Spike said.  
  
"Indeed," Giles said, with a raise of his eyebrows. "And how did she do that? Did Willow bring her back?"  
  
"Sort of. As a ghost," Buffy said, offhandedly.  
  
"I see." This wasn't entirely surprising news. Considering what Willow had done with Buffy, Giles had assumed something like this would happen. "Are Tara and Willow here?"  
  
"No. Tara's out looking for Willow now."  
  
Buffy and Spike took Giles into the livingroom and caught him up on everything: Tara's death and return, Willow's addiction to Rack's wares, the fires on Lindemann, and the alliance with the Shadows. Giles accepted it all with the occasional nod and several cleanings of his glasses. Every now and again he would shoot a suspicious look in Spike's direction. For him, this new relationship between Buffy and Spike was going to take some getting used to.  
  
"Well," Giles said, "the alliance with the Shadows may turn out to be very beneficial. It was smart of you to make it."  
  
"Told ya," Spike said to Buffy with a grin. She made a face at him.  
  
"But I'm very worried over Willow," Giles continued. "And Doc's involvement downtown can't be good."  
  
They discussed various possibilities. Giles felt a bit uncomfortable with Spike's easy input, but he didn't interfere. Somehow, Spike had started taking on the honorary role of Watcher in Buffy's life. That was obvious. He brought up ideas, challenged Buffy's, and pressed on doggedly toward a solution. He refused to allow Buffy slack, which Giles realized was probably good. The two sparred verbally, often childishly, but Giles could sense there was a real affection developing between them. As for the sexual attraction, he wondered how he had never noticed it before. The energy fairly crackled between them.  
  
By the time Dawn and Zachary arrived from school, they'd had an early dinner and done much debating, but hadn't come to any real conclusions. When Dawn saw Giles there was yet another happy reunion. She was thrilled to have Giles back and proud to introduce him to her spanking new boyfriend.  
  
Zachary tried hard to give this new man a proper greeting. He was obviously important in Dawn's life. But most of his attention was drawn to Spike. Once again the strange blond man was wearing basic black and sporting slicked back hair. The glasses they had helped him buy were gone. And he was slouching against a wall in the hallway looking like some sort of leather biker. Zachary had really begun to like the William persona, so he was sorry to see the return of Spike. He also wondered how he suddenly came back to himself like that.  
  
Spike saw the uncertainty in the young man's eyes and the pleading look in Dawn's. To smooth things over, he piloted the young couple into the diningroom, served them sandwiches, and asked Zachary how his epic poem had gone over.  
  
"The teacher thought it was overdone," Zachary answered.  
  
"Overdone?" Spike asked. "What a load of rot! It was bloody brilliant. Don't care what the old teach thinks. And what about you, Niblet? How did your composition go over?"  
  
"I actually think the teacher liked hers better," Zachary said. "She said it was from the heart."  
  
Spike's eyes beamed with pride. "At least that's good to hear."  
  
In the livingroom where Giles and Buffy were talking quietly, a mist started to gather near the entryway. Zachary's eyes were drawn to the movement. The mist took on a human shape and then developed into the recognizable form of Tara. Spike and Dawn were still discussing the composition about her mother when they both noticed Zachary's face fall into shock. They followed his gaze into the livingroom in time to see Giles and Buffy jump to their feet. They were visible on the other side of a slightly transparent Tara.  
  
"It's Willow!" Tara said excitedly. "Rack and Doc are working together. They've got Willow and they're planning on using her powers!"  
  
Spike quickly got to his feet and tried to block Zachary's view with his torso by bending over across the dining room table and endlessly rearranging Dawn's school books, one on top of the other. "Dawn . . . uh, maybe you should take Zack out to the kitchen and see if you can't rustle up some desert."  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said. She grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "Come on, Zack, let's see what we can find."  
  
Zachary didn't have the will to resist. In shock, he rose to his feet and let himself be led out to the kitchen. Dawn left him at the counter island while she rummaged in the refrigerator.  
  
"We don't have much in the way of sweets," she rambled. "But we do have some really ancient frozen pops. I mean they're really old, but . . ."  
  
"Dawn," Zachary interrupted. "That was Tara in there just now . . . Wasn't it?"  
  
Dawn closed the freezer and steeled herself.  
  
"And a few nights ago, your sister and Willow . . . I saw them come in with crossbows and this strange gun. I didn't say anything at the time cos that's when we had to tell them about Tara. But now . . . I just saw Tara in the livingroom . . . Didn't I? I mean, I sort of saw her, because I could see through her. And William . . . I mean, Spike . . . he's suddenly all better. What's going on around here?"  
  
"Zack, what do they say about my sister?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Please. Just answer. What do the not-so-nice kids say about her?"  
  
Zachary shifted his sneakered feet back and forth across the linoleum as he processed her question. "Well . . . you know how strange SunnyD is."  
  
"Yeah, but what do they say?"  
  
He met her eyes and lowered them again. Then he put his hands in his pockets. "They say your sister is sort of like a groupie . . . to the weird people and stuff."  
  
Dawn's eyebrows rose up in surprise. Then she started laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"That people think my sister's a groupie. Like she picked this life."  
  
Zachary didn't know what to say. It was all too strange. His family was boringly normal. His dad's hardware business was steady, but boring. His mom worked as an administrative assistant in an accountant's office. That also fell under the heading of normal and boring. His little brother did the baseball thing and that was about as much as you could say about him.  
  
"My sister's the Slayer," Dawn said.  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The Slayer . . . The chosen one. She has greater than normal strength and she slays vampires and other demons. She saves the world almost on a daily basis."  
  
"The slayer . . ."  
  
"Yeah. And she didn't choose the job, it chose her."  
  
"And Tara?"  
  
"She's a ghost. She was dead, I mean we went to her funeral. But Willow brought her back. Willow's a witch. Tara was too before she became a ghost, though she was never as powerful as Willow is. And Spike, he's a vampire. He used to try and kill Buffy, but somewhere along the line he fell in love with her."  
  
"I see." Zachary reached out and planted both of his hands on the counter island so that he wouldn't fall over. A ghost, a witch, a slayer, and a vampire. Well, the vampire he could kinda believe because of the way Spike looked at him sometimes. But . . . "What about you?" he asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. If your sister's this magical slayer, what are you? Are you a slayer too?"  
  
Dawn closed her eyes. If Zachary stayed around after all this, he was going to find out the truth sooner or later. It was better for him to hear it now. "I'm not a slayer . . . at least not as far as I know. I'm a key."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A key. Like to a series of dimensional portals."  
  
"Dimensional portals . . ."  
  
"You see, there was this hell god last year," Dawn said quickly. "She was trying to unlock the portals between these dimensions. And I was the key that could undo everything so that suddenly all these different worlds would come streaming into each other. This group of magical monks turned me from the key into a human and made me into Buffy's sister so they could be sure that she would protect me. Buffy died last summer to keep me and all the rest of us safe."  
  
"Your sister died? . . . Is she a ghost too?"  
  
"No. Willow resurrected her, body and all. Only, she used this spell which accidentally made her immortal in the process."  
  
"Immortal . . ."  
  
"Which doesn't mean she can't die. It just means she can't die easily. And she'll always look the way she does now until she dies . . . Which I guess means that she'll eventually look younger than me. I didn't think of that till just now. It's kinda weird, isn't it?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Zachary agreed. "Is that all?"  
  
"I think so. Except that Anya was formerly a vengeance demon."  
  
"A vengeance demon?"  
  
"Yeah. And she lived for about a thousand years. Then Giles . . . he's that English guy you just met, he smashed her amulet and it turned her into a human. Then she fell in love with Xander."  
  
"And what is Xander?"  
  
"Oh, he's just a human," Dawn said with a wave. "And so is Giles. They all help Buffy. Right now, everybody's inside discussing this bunch of demons downtown on Lindemann Avenue. You know that place where they've been having all the fires? A group of demons have taken over a warehouse at number 666 and are planning some evil. My sister and her friends are going to stop them."  
  
"I think I should go," Zachary said, turning away. "I'll . . . I'll see you at school tomorrow."  
  
"Sure. If you think you'd better . . ."  
  
By then, Zachary was already on his way into the dining room. He haphazardly gathered up his school books and started for the door.  
  
No one in the livingroom was saying anything. They'd been listening to the conversation going on between Dawn and Zachary. Tara had gone to full corporeal form by then and was hiding behind Giles and Spike, hoping not to upset Zachary anymore than she already had.  
  
"Good night," Dawn called to Zachary's back as he rapidly made his way down the block and into the gathering darkness.  
  
"Dawn . . ." Buffy began as she approached her.  
  
"It's all right," Dawn said, tears in her eyes. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. My life is over, that's all."  
  
Buffy took her sister into her arms to comfort her. She'd scared off her own share of "normal" men. She knew what it was like. She'd hoped to protect Dawn and give her the normal life she could never get for herself. Maybe that just wasn't possible. Maybe her curse was her sister's as well.  
  
"I'm sorry, Dawn," Tara said, coming forward and touching her.  
  
"That's all right," Dawn said sniffing. "I should have known it was too good to last."  
  
"Dawn . . ."  
  
"I said it's all right!" Dawn pushed Buffy and Tara away and started waving her arms. "So . . . what's the plan? Willow's in danger. At least it's not me this time."  
  
"Doc and Rack are working together," Tara said. "They've got her downtown in that old warehouse on Lindemann, under a mind altering spell. She's behind a magical force field. But being a ghost, I can get inside it. Only while being invisible though, because it's so strong. Once inside, I can appear in physical form. I tried touching Willow and talking to her. But I couldn't get through. Doc seems to have done a good job on her. Still, I think it's Rack's magic high that actually keeps her under control. I can hear her mind trying to question. It just can't focus because of what Rack's doing."  
  
"Do you know what they plan to do to her?" Giles asked.  
  
"I think they plan to undo Buffy's resurrection spell, as a punishment for undoing Glory's plans last year."  
  
Spike set his jaw at this news. No way were they going to take his girl again. Dawn looked fearfully at her sister. Things hadn't been the best between them in the last year, but that didn't mean she wanted Buffy dead again.  
  
"Doc seems to realize that Buffy's immortal now. I think he thinks undoing the resurrection spell is the most reliable way of getting rid of her. Then they're going to use Willow's power to help them open up one of the Hell portals they tried to open last year."  
  
"And you know all this how?" Giles asked.  
  
"I can hear traces of Doc's words in Willow's mind. He's got it so they repeat over and over again like echoes. And I wandered around listening to what some of the other people were saying. Rack was there. And so was Amy. So were several members of their coven. Doc was there for a while, but he left. That's when I tried to make contact with Willow. Rack comes to look in on her pretty often to give her regular highs. Like I said, I don't think they can maintain control of her without them. They're being too careful about the timing."  
  
"Well, what are we gonna do?" Dawn asked.  
  
"First, Spike and I are going downtown to meet with Ledic and the Shadows," Buffy said.  
  
"I'm going with you," Tara said.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"And I'll go over to the Magic Box," Giles said, "and fill Xander and Anya in on what's been going on. Maybe we can come up with a plan of action."  
  
"I'm coming with you," Dawn said.  
  
"Oh, no!" Buffy said. "You're staying right here."  
  
"No, I'm not!" Dawn insisted. "The Magic Box isn't a dangerous place. And I think tonight pretty much proves that I'm not going to be hanging around any malls pretending to be Miss Normal Teen anymore. If the life of a Scoob is the only thing left to me, so be it! I'm the same age you were when you got called. And Willow and Xander started helping you around my age too. I'm in, whether you like it or not!"  
  
Buffy had never seen her sister so resolute about anything. There wasn't much she could say to argue the point. One way or another they did seem to be under the same curse. "All right," she said. "But you stay right with Giles every minute."  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes.  
  
"Spike, you ready to roll?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Ready." 


	61. Chapter Sixty-One - Of Ghosts and Vengea...

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE  
  
Of Ghosts and Vengeance Demons  
  
  
  
After a brief argument over who would drive the motorcycle, Buffy and Spike took off downtown. Since it was technically his motorcycle, Spike wanted to drive. But over the past couple of weeks, Buffy had found that she enjoyed the power and freedom of the machine as well. They settled the issue by having Spike drive downtown and Buffy drive back. Tara traveled on her own in invisible form. They had determined beforehand that she would remain unseen until they gave her the word.  
  
Ledic was already in the alleyway when they arrived. "This time you brought the vampire," Ledic said, squinting at Spike. "You seem different than the last time I saw you."  
  
"Yeah, well," Spike said, striking a more macho pose, "I wasn't quite myself."  
  
"What have you got to tell me?" Buffy asked brusquely.  
  
"Important news," Ledic said. "Doc has one of your friends. The one with red hair."  
  
"Yes, I know," Buffy said. "I just found out a little while ago. Is she all right?"  
  
"Rack is keeping her drugged and Doc is using some kind of magic on her that I don't understand. I haven't been able to get close enough to learn much. Doc's people do not confide in mine. But I think she's important to them. They have a barrier around her that you can't see, but burns to the touch. I don't know magic. So I can't get through."  
  
"I don't have a plan to get her free yet," Buffy said. "But I'm going to talk to some others on my team, as well as the Shadows."  
  
Ledic nodded. "I don't think Doc means to act immediately. But the Shadows tried to look into the warehouse last night, so he ordered an invisible barrier put up around it. They're not afraid of the Shadows themselves because they know they're normally shy people, as the Fire demons usually are. But it made them aware that others might come looking in too. If Doc feels threatened, he will have them light the barrier with fire. When you're ready to attack, I will help you enter underground through that passage you and the vampire came up before."  
  
"Fine. As we get on, we may have trouble meeting you here. I have someone who can work with you on the inside."  
  
"On the inside?" Ledic asked. It was a slang term he wasn't quite familiar with.  
  
"She will be with you . . . inside the warehouse."  
  
"Another Fire demon?" Ledic asked. The idea didn't surprise him. This slayer was very resourceful and there were still a lot of Fire demons outside of Doc's influence who believed in the autonomy of his people.  
  
"No. Someone else," Buffy said. She took a step back and addressed herself to the empty space in the alleyway. "Tara!" she called.  
  
At the sound of her name, a mist gathered and quickly developed into a visible, though slightly transparent Tara. Ledic backed up at the sight of her. He knew what she was. The Fire demons lived in dark quiet places that were sometimes inhabited by ghosts. Most ignored his people. Still, the Fire demons had respect for these once living creatures.  
  
"This is Tara," Buffy said. "Tara, this is Ledic."  
  
"How do you do?" Tara said.  
  
"Tara spent most of today inside the warehouse. She's the one who told us where our friend is."  
  
Ledic nodded.  
  
"I'm going to stay close to our friend," Tara said, moving toward Ledic. In this semi-transparent state she half walked/half floated when she moved. "You won't see me for the most part, but I'll be there. I can get messages back and forth between you and Buffy and the Shadows. If you need me, go off by yourself and call my name. If I need you, I'll wait till you're alone to appear. Understand?"  
  
Ledic nodded again.  
  
"Not used to speaking to ghosts, huh?" Buffy remarked. "Well, don't worry. She's a friendly ghost. But before her death she was also a witch. So she knows magic."  
  
"I understand," Ledic said. "I better get back to my people now."  
  
"I'll be along soon," Tara said. "Even if you don't see me."  
  
Ledic gave them a little bow and disappeared behind some debris in the direction of the underground tunnels.  
  
"You know," Tara said. "If this wasn't such a serious situation, I might actually enjoy this."  
  
After meeting with Ledic, they went to visit Masichuvio and introduce him to Tara. He also seemed taken aback by the ghost. After all, he had seen her alive not long ago, creating a magical light for their battle with the Fire demons. He moved his gray head this way and that, looking at her and through her. He ended their meeting by giving her a respectful bow, much as Ledic had. To him, only the most devoted of warriors would continue to fight even after they were dead. Masichuvio was honored to accept her as a messenger.  
  
The drive back uptown to the Magic Box was uneventful except to say that Spike actually enjoyed it. He pouted at first when Buffy climbed onto the motorcycle in front of him into the driver's position. But he ultimately found it pleasurable. He enjoyed the feeling of power both in the machine and in the woman he loved. Very exhilarating. In fact, it put him in a rather amorous mood, which unfortunately he couldn't give into at that point. To alter his mood, he concentrated on visions of Xander's scowling face and Dawn's broken hearted expression when Zachary left earlier that evening.  
  
At the Magic Box, Giles and Dawn were poring over source books while Anya dusted and Xander was climbing ladders putting books away. Buffy burst in the front door with Spike following right behind her.  
  
"Where is she?" Anya asked eagerly.  
  
"Who?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Tara, of course."  
  
Xander groaned on top of his perch. He was intimidated by the thought of Tara being a ghost. At least when they'd brought Buffy back she'd looked like a normal human. Now he wasn't sure what to expect.  
  
By the time Xander got down off his ladder, Tara was already sorting herself out, first as mist, and then as a semi-transparent figure, and finally as a physically solid one.  
  
"Well," Anya said, looking her friend over approvingly. "Being dead really becomes you. You have a certain glow."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment," Tara laughed.  
  
"Tara," Xander said, perfunctorily.  
  
"Xander," Tara replied with a smile.  
  
"You look . . . well."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"So, how did your meeting with Ledic go?" Giles asked, getting down to business.  
  
Buffy's rundown was to the point. Everyone gathered around the center table and sat down while she talked. All except of Giles, that is. He preferred to stand and pace.  
  
"Giles has a plan," Anya said after Buffy was finished. "I can tell because he always paces when he has a plan. Especially when he thinks it's something we don't want to hear."  
  
"Yes, it does so happen that I have a plan," Giles said gravely. "It seems we have one of two choices. We can either try and rescue Willow before Imbolc and then fight Doc and his minions later. Or we can wait until Imbolc and do both at the same time. I think with the help of the Diamond of Gunab, it would be better to handle it all during Imbolc."  
  
"And get two birds with one diamond," Anya offered.  
  
"Yes, in a way. But it means leaving Willow where she is for a few days. Can you agree to that Tara?"  
  
"As long as I remain mostly at her side," Tara said. "I don't think they'll hurt her because they need her. And until their plans are destroyed, they're still a danger to her. We might rescue her successfully now, only to have them come after her again later. It's better to handle everything at once."  
  
"The Shadows have the diamond," Buffy said. "And the ray gun. But I can get them back anytime you want."  
  
"We only need the diamond," Giles said. "I didn't know much about it myself. But Anya has been good enough to fill me in on some of what Willow found out. And I've spent a good part of the evening on the phone with the Watcher's Council getting some additional information. Tara has told us that most of the witches working with Rack and Doc are human. That means we can use the diamond to drain off a good deal of their power."  
  
"But not with the ray gun?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. The gun covers too small an area. We need to widen our focus."  
  
"I think Willow said that was possible," Tara said. "Only you need a demon with experience in magic to do it."  
  
"Yes," Giles agreed. "And preferably you should also have a coven of demons behind the lead demon."  
  
"I hope you don't expect me to be this lead demon," Spike said. "I don't go in much for magic."  
  
"No. I'd prefer an older demon at the head of the coven. The older, the better. But we would need you in the circle of demons. Maybe we should call Angel . . ."  
  
"The poufter!" Spike said with disgust. "Pfft! Don't fancy him around." The last thing he wanted right then was for his grandsire to come nosing around in his and Buffy's still new relationship.  
  
"Maybe not. But we need an older demon we can trust. And Angel is older than you are by a good hundred years, I believe."  
  
Spike grumbled under his breath and Buffy swatted him on the leg. "Ow! You don't expect me to be happy about this, do you Luv?"  
  
"Happy, no. Quiet, yes," Buffy said.  
  
Buffy and Spike made faces at each other, which everyone but Giles ignored. They were used to it. For Buffy and Spike, trading quips was like flirting.  
  
"What about me?" Anya asked.  
  
"What?" Xander said.  
  
All eyes turned to the ex-demon.  
  
"In case you haven't noticed," Xander said, "You're no longer a demon."  
  
"No. But I could be. All I'd have to do is go crying to my friend Agatha, about how you cancelled the wedding because of Tara's death and that even though she's come back as a ghost, you're avoiding rescheduling it. Agatha will tell me you're trying to jilt me and that I should go back to being a vengeance demon. All I have to do is pretend to be tempted. Before you know it, she'll put in a good word to Hoff for me and in no time I'll have my old job back. I've got a thousand years of experience in handling magic. This thing with the diamond should be easy for me."  
  
"No!" Xander said.  
  
"It's for Willow," Anya said, patting Xander's hand. "And for Buffy. After I'm a vengeance demon again, I can grant a wish for Tara against Doc that will stop any anti-resurrection spell that Willow or anyone else does. That'll show Hoff I'm seriously on the job again."  
  
"You can grant wishes to ghosts?" Tara asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah! They've been some of my best customers. Lots of suicides and murder victims return looking for vengeance."  
  
"It would be the perfect answer," Giles admitted. "If you're willing. We could surround you with a group of demons to support you."  
  
"I know the Shadows will help," Buffy said. "And that furry little Nazari guy, Speaker. I kinda think he'd like to be involved. And while you've got your demon coven going, I'll lead a group of us and the Shadows into the warehouse so we can rescue Willow and put down the rest of the bad stuff."  
  
"Fine," Giles said. "So, Buffy and Xander will lead a contingency of the Shadows into the warehouse with Tara in attendance. Meanwhile, Anya and Spike and a group of other demons friendly to our cause will remain outside gathered around the diamond chanting."  
  
"Oh, no!" Spike said. "I'm fighting with Buffy. You don't need me outside if you've got a thousand year old vengeance demon leading the bloody chanting."  
  
"I'm sure we'll do fine without him," Anya agreed.  
  
Xander looked from one to the other of them. He couldn't believe he was hearing this.  
  
"And what about me?" Dawn asked. "I'm going with Buffy too."  
  
Buffy and Spike both snapped around to look at Dawn.  
  
"Oh, no!" Buffy said.  
  
"No way!" Spike agreed.  
  
"I let you come to this meeting. But that doesn't mean you can join us on this," Buffy said.  
  
"You stay home nice and safe so we don't worry about you," Spike agreed.  
  
"And what?" Dawn said. "What happens if you all get killed at this Imbolc thing? What kind of life do I have after that? I'm going and that's it!"  
  
"Giles will be outside with Anya," Buffy said. "If anything happens to us, you'll have them."  
  
"And me," Tara said.  
  
"It's not open for discussion. I'm going." Dawn said.  
  
"She has your stubbornness, Slayer," Spike said to Buffy.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said. "But she learned to talk back from you."  
  
"Yeah," Spike agreed with a smirk. "Kinda proud of that."  
  
"There's nothing you can do to keep me away," Dawn said vehemently. "I'm going and that's it. I'm not a baby anymore. And you can't expect me to stay off on the sidelines, pretending to be normal while you guys risk your lives. If mom was around it might be different. But she's not. From now on, I'm one of you. Like or not." Dawn folded her arms slowly across her chest. "I don't care. You can't keep me out."  
  
Silence fell over the group for a moment. Each of them wanted to protect Dawn. But in a place like the Hellmouth, was that even possible?  
  
Giles spoke first. "Maybe you could join the crossbow brigade," he suggested, looking to Buffy. "Only you could stay outside near Anya and I in case some of the Fire demons try to break up the chanting. They probably will, you know. Doc will realize what we're doing and send someone out. Dawn and I will both be armed and ready at that end."  
  
"Yeah . . . All right," Buffy said. As long as Dawn was with Giles.  
  
"So it's settled," Anya said. "I'll look into becoming a vengeance demon again tomorrow. And Dawn will fight with Buffy and Spike and Xander."  
  
"And me," Tara said. "Don't forget about me."  
  
"How could we?" Giles asked. "We're going to need to you to coordinate the battle."  
  
"Would it be possible to separate Willow's powers out from the others?" Tara asked.  
  
"You mean drain the power off the other witches but leave her abilities intact?" Giles said. "Yes, I believe so. It wouldn't be possible for a lesser demon. But Anya has had a lot of experience and she knows Willow. She should be able to sense her energy apart from the others."  
  
"I'd like to do that then," Tara said. "I think as long as Anya can grant a wish to keep anyone from undoing Buffy's resurrection spell, we should try and use Willow's power to help us. The diamond will drain off Rack's influence from her. Then in physical form, I can smash the five crystals that are all around her. That will release her from Doc's spell. If I can get her to return to herself, she can help us fight the members of Doc's crew that aren't human."  
  
"Like Doc himself," Giles said. "Yes, that would be an excellent idea."  
  
"No problem," Anya agreed with a big smile.  
  
"Sounds like we're done here," Spike said, slapping the table.  
  
"Giles, where are you staying?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, Anya said I could stay here. There's a back room with a cot."  
  
"No. You should stay in Willow's room," Buffy offered. "It's not like she's using it at the moment."  
  
"Oh, that'd be cool!" Dawn said.  
  
"Very well. If it won't put you out."  
  
"Not at all," Buffy said. "It'll be nice to have you around. And I'm kinda used to a full house now."  
  
Talking companionably, Giles, Dawn, and Tara walked back to Buffy's house, with Dawn's arms linked tightly through theirs. She was thrilled to have two of her favorite people back with her.  
  
Buffy and Spike returned by motorcycle, with Buffy driving again. She wondered at first why Spike seemed so willing to let her drive. But she figured out his motive pretty quickly when he started nuzzling her neck and running his hands over her body. By the time they got home, both of them were definitely in the mood. Buffy installed Giles in Willow's room as quickly as she could, while Spike made sure Dawn went to bed. Then with a hasty goodnight, they both disappeared into Buffy's room.  
  
Giles couldn't miss the sense of urgency. And he wondered for the hundredth time that day if he would ever get used to this new relationship between Buffy and Spike. "Are they always like that?" he asked Tara, as she moved from solid form to one of semi-transparency.  
  
"Pretty much," the ghost said with a smile. "Only, they've essentially been apart for a couple of weeks, so it's more intense than usual."  
  
Meanwhile, Xander and Anya remained behind at the shop to close things up for the night. Or at least that was Anya's intention. Xander had other ideas. He was absolutely furious about his fiancée returning to her demon ways and he wasn't going to wait till they got home to tell her.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Xander demanded.  
  
"Doing what?" Anya asked over her shoulder. She was stashing a few things out of the way behind the counter and she wasn't giving him her full attention.  
  
Xander walked heavily to the customer side of the counter, each foot having the weight that he hoped his words would. "I don't want you to become a vengeance demon again."  
  
"What?" Anya's head popped up from behind the register. "But it's for Willow and Buffy."  
  
"I don't care . . . I mean, I do care. But . . . Don't I get a say in all this?"  
  
"I don't understand what the problem is."  
  
Xander ran his long fingers over the glass case. "The problem is . . . I already have a hard time forgetting what you were, all those things you did. I don't want you becoming a demon again. That stuff with Eric the ugly. That wasn't exactly nice."  
  
"I know. But things have changed. I'm not that person anymore. I want to use my demon powers for something good this time." She walked around the counter to him and put her hands on his chest. "This time I'll be doing something important. Good old money crazed, good for a laugh Anya is finally going to pull her weight with the rest of the group. I'm going to grant a wish that will keep Doc or anyone else from undoing Buffy's resurrection spell. And then I'll drain off the energy from those evil witches with the diamond so they can't open up one of the Hell portals. I'll finally get a chance to use my vengeance powers for something other than destruction."  
  
Xander looked at her, not knowing what to say.  
  
"Can't you see how important this is to me?"  
  
"But what if your old boss figures out that you're not really going back to your old job? What if he tries to punish you?"  
  
"That shouldn't happen as long as we're careful. I'll grant Tara's wish against Doc first thing. Then if anybody asks, I'll tell them I'm working with Buffy to punish Rack and Doc for some other things they did. I wouldn't be lying there. Doc is the one who forced Buffy into sacrificing herself last year. So I could be handling the diamond thing for her. And Dawn was hurt because Willow got involved with Rack. I could grant her a wish too."  
  
"But once you're a demon, will you ever be human again?"  
  
"Sure. I can grant some unimportant little wish after the Imbolc stuff is over. Then I'll smash my amulet. Only the last wish granted will be undone."  
  
"But . . . after having all that power. Will you want to be human again?"  
  
"Is that what you're worried about? That I'll enjoy being a vengeance demon so much again that I'll cut a swath of vengeance through Sunnydale and on for another thousand years?" Anya ran her hand gently across his face. "Those days are over, Xander. The world of vengeance is definitely not for me anymore. At least, not unless I can do more stuff like this. Otherwise, I actually think I like money better. And I like you even more than I like money." She moved temptingly against him.  
  
"I'm just not sure I like this."  
  
"It'll be over before you know it," she said, moving in for a kiss.  
  
Xander let her kiss him. It allayed some of his fears. "But," he said, pulling away slightly, "will you become someone different once you're a demon again?"  
  
"Different?"  
  
"Will you still be the Anya I know? Or will you a stranger?"  
  
"I'll be me my usual self, only more powerful. If that weren't true, do you think Giles would trust me with all this? You've got to get over this prejudice of yours, Xander. Demons are as good or as bad as they choose to be. Just like humans. At least, for the most part. There are good demons and bad demons. Most vengeance demon are real judgmental and get drunk with their own power. But those days are behind me. No more Erics. I promise."  
  
Anya kissed him again and he forgot about everything else. All he knew was the feel of her soft body and the hunger that was building up inside of him. She pulled away from him momentarily to switch off the lights.  
  
"Let's not go home just yet," she said, slipping back into his arms and pulling his mouth back to hers. 


	62. Chapter Sixty-Two - Comrades-in-Arms

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO  
  
Comrades-in-Arms  
  
  
  
The next morning Anya packed Xander off to stay with Buffy. She'd thought about it overnight and she'd come up with an alternate plan to get herself reassigned to the job of vengeance demon. "This will get things moving much faster," she said. "I'll call for Agatha today and tell her we've broken up because we had a fight over rescheduling the wedding. With you out of the house, she'll be more likely to believe me. Then, knowing Agatha, she'll talk to Hoff before the day is out. Once that girl's made her mind up on something, she moves right away. That's why I'm picking her to talk to. By tomorrow, I'll be a vengeance demon again. Don't worry. We won't have to stay apart for long. And we can sneak in a couple of quickies here and there."  
  
"But . . ." Xander said. He still wasn't happy about this. He didn't want to leave his comfortable apartment or his cozy fiancée.  
  
"It's for Willow and Buffy," Anya said. "I think we need to move quickly, because Doc may be planning on undoing Buffy's resurrection spell before Imbolc. He might figure that with her out of the way, no one will interfere with the final leg of his plan."  
  
How was Xander supposed to argue against that? He didn't want his friend to go poof back to the grave. There was nothing to do but sigh and go on to Buffy's. Anya called ahead to let them know he was coming. By the time he got there, everyone was already up and milling around. Buffy suggested that Xander bunk in with Giles. This really didn't appeal much to either of the men. But they figured it was only for a short time.  
  
Buffy and Spike were both in good moods that morning. Buffy had persuaded Spike to get in touch with his inner William again and help with breakfast. As they worked they made their plans for that night, to introduce Tara to Speaker and the other Shadow leader and fill everyone in on the plan.  
  
Giles watched the ease with which his hostess and her lover worked together in the kitchen, their culinary duties interspersed with an occasional intimate touch or playful nudge. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet William; however this little remainder of him was still amazing to Giles. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Spike as a family cook and caretaker, even to this small extent. Giles looked to Xander to see if he thought any of this seemed strange. But Xander was lost in his own world of depression. He accepted the toast and eggs from Spike with nary a questioning glance.  
  
Dawn smiled on cue and answered all the questions the adults put to her. But her mood was even lower than Xander's. She was dreading school because she was wondering how Zachary would treat her.  
  
As it turned out, Zachary stayed away from Dawn entirely. He avoided her as much as possible and didn't even seem to look in her direction. Dawn was hurt, but she didn't do anything about it. She figured if he wanted to stay away from her, then that was that. She watched him surreptitiously from afar. But she didn't force him to talk.  
  
When Janice saw Dawn eating alone at lunchtime, she decided to interrogate her. "So, did you and Zachary have a fight?" she asked, plopping her tray across from Dawn's.  
  
"Not exactly," Dawn answered, avoiding her friend's eyes.  
  
"Did you guys break-up?"  
  
Dawn didn't know how the answer to that. It certainly seemed that way. But she didn't want to say that, at least not out loud. That would make it real. So she just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Well, if he does break-up with you, he's an idiot and not worth crying over. That's what I say!" Janice lifted up her Diet Coke can and took a big sip, as if she were drinking to that sentiment.  
  
"Yeah," Dawn said. She appreciated her friend's stalwart defense of her, especially since Janice didn't even know what it was about. But it still felt like the end of the world. It was the end of a lot of things, really. And the beginning of her being a full-fledged member of the Scoobies. She had to concentrate on that.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
While Dawn mourned the loss of Zachary, Tara maintained her vigil at Willow's side. She was there when Doc came to continue his brainwashing spell, pushing harder to convince Willow to undo Buffy's resurrection. Each time he came, Willow seemed more open to the idea. It was all Tara could do to control herself. But she knew attacking Doc on her own wouldn't solve anything. It would only make matters worse. So, she waited until he left and then she returned to Willow's side.  
  
Occasionally Tara moved to physical form when she was sure they were alone. Touching Willow eased some of the ache at least. She would smooth back her hair, hug her, and kiss her. During the times she was invisible, she would whisper in Willow's ear, telling her that the spell she'd used to bring her back had worked, but that she'd foolishly put off letting her know because she was afraid it would encourage Willow to see herself as all powerful. "I should have told you before," she whispered. "Maybe then this whole thing with Doc could have been prevented. I'm so sorry." Tara also told Willow the truth about what Doc and Rack were trying to do. And that Buffy was happier now about her resurrection. "Buffy and Spike are obviously in love," Tara whispered into her lover's ear, "despite what Doc says. It's a snarky kind of love, but it's love. And everybody wants you back."  
  
Tara didn't try to contact Willow's mind directly inside the barrier. She was afraid Doc might sense any magic used there. But there was no reason she couldn't talk to Willow. And that she did, almost non-stop.  
  
At some point late in the afternoon, a lot of the Fire demons and witches started running around at the warehouse. Tara recognized Amy and followed her to the main floor. At that point, it was almost fully prepared for the Imbolc celebration. The abundant windows had been gently burred with some substance so as to let in light, but keep out prying eyes. There were orange banners against the walls and torches in-between. A myriad of orange and red ceremonial candles were scattered about as well, waiting to be lit. These flames were meant to welcome back to the sun as it pushed away the winter. They were also a welcome to the Hell fires of the portal they planned to open.  
  
Several witches, including Amy, gathered in a circle within a great pentagram painted in the center of the floor. There was already one orange crystal at each point of the star. Tara assumed they were there to create and hold the magic barrier around the building.  
  
The witches turned in their circle and whispered a spell, slowly at first, then picking up speed. One by one, they lit the orange crystals. And outside the building Tara became aware of a great light. She walked through the wall of the warehouse to see a protective flaming circle shooting at least ten feet up into the air around the building.  
  
Of course fire couldn't hurt Tara, at least not in her invisible form. So she walked out into the parking lot and through the ring of fire. On the other side, was a collection of men in suits, along with several police cars, and three trucks of workmen. Tara wondered if the men in suits were representatives of the owners of the building. Had they come to do some renovations since the big fires on the Avenue had ceased?  
  
They had probably been about to enter the building and couldn't because of the invisible barrier, so they called the police. That in turn made Rack feel he needed a show of force. So the circle of fire had been called up. Several minutes later, two fire trucks arrived on the scene. They tried to pour water on the fire. But of course it did no good. Magical fires can burn to the touch, but they cannot be put out with water.  
  
The fire ring burned on and on through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, showing no signs of abating or growing. Since there was nothing else for them to do, all but one of the police cars left. One of the fire trucks departed and one remained, just in case. For a short while, there was a news truck there.  
  
The Scoobies met at the Magic Box early that evening to discuss what had happened. Giles had slipped back into his old job as Watcher and had just begun speaking when there was a knock on the shop door.  
  
"Ignore it," Anya said, "I've got the closed sign up. They'll go away soon."  
  
But the knocking went on.  
  
"Anya, please," Giles said, gesturing to the door in exasperation.  
  
"All right," Anya said, getting to her feet. "I'll get rid of them." She went to the door and looked out before she opened it. After all, it was Sunnydale. You never knew what kind of creature might be knocking. She hesitated for a moment when she saw who it was. Then she wordlessly opened the door and stood aside.  
  
It was Zachary.  
  
All eyes in the shop turned to look at him. A couple of expressions were on the hostile side, especially Spike's. He looked as if he might bite Zachary and drain him right there. Which of course he could, now that the chip wasn't working anymore.  
  
Zachary stepped shyly into the shop. "Can I . . . Can I talk to you, Dawn?"  
  
Dawn got up from her seat between Tara and Spike. "Sure," she answered. In as businesslike a manner as she could muster, she led him into the training room and waved to the others to go back to talking.  
  
Zachary looked around the room wide-eyed. The walls were covered with varying weapons, all very dangerous looking. "What is this place?" he asked.  
  
"We call it the training room," Dawn said, closing the door. "My sister works out here. She and Spike throw weapons at each other just for practice."  
  
Zachary gulped. He'd seen gyms before. But this looked more like an armory.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Uh . . ." Zachary put his hands into his back pockets and tried not to notice all the different sized knives on the wall behind Dawn. "I heard on the news this afternoon . . . that place you mentioned yesterday . . . 666 Lindemann. They say a chemical fire got started there. That the fire department got it under control, but it needs to burn itself out. Is that true? Is it just a chemical fire? Cos I saw it on TV and the fire seemed to form a perfect circle around the building."  
  
"Nope," Dawn said, leaning back on her heels. "It's not a chemical fire. The Sunnydale authorities are just in denial like always. It's the bad guys I was telling you about. They're planning this big ceremony on February 2nd. That's when they're going to try and open one of those Hell portals. They're holding Willow a prisoner there and they're planning to use her magic powers to help them do everything."  
  
"And your sister . . ."  
  
"She's going to try and stop them. Her and the rest of us. I'm going to carry a crossbow and keep the Fire demons from interfering with the magic Anya will be doing."  
  
"Fire demons?"  
  
"Yeah. They can shoot out these fire balls. The bad guys are using them as guards."  
  
"And you're going to help out on this?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm a Summers woman. We fight evil."  
  
Zachary set his jaw and nodded resolutely. "Then I'm in," he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm in. You carry a crossbow . . . I do too."  
  
Dawn shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
"Look," Zachary said, "I did a lot of thinking about it today. This is SunnyD. Things happen here. Most of the time everyone tries to ignore it. But sometimes you can't. I figure in a place like this, you gotta decide which side you're on. And I decided I'm on yours."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Absolutely." He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers tightly. "I'm with you. No matter what happens."  
  
When Dawn and Zachary opened the door of the training room, the adults in the shop proper stopped talking immediately. Giles still had the floor. He had taken his glasses off and was gesturing with them.  
  
Dawn led Zachary to the table. "Zachary's in," she said. "He wants to be on crossbow with me."  
  
Giles, Buffy, and Anya all looked quite surprised at Dawn's words. They didn't think the young man had it in him. Tara looked proud, as if she had somehow caused it. Xander looked impressed. The young man had just gone up in his estimation by several points.  
  
Spike, however, had the most understanding of the situation. His eyebrows rose momentarily. Then he smiled a secret smile. He knew exactly what Zachary was feeling. Summers women . . . Once you fell for one of them, it was bloody near impossible to turn back. No matter what happened.  
  
"Well, this is interesting news," Giles said in his cautious voice. "You're sure, Zachary?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the young man said moving forward with Dawn proudly at his side.  
  
"Then . . . why don't you have a seat and we'll fill you in on our plans."  
  
Spike gave up his seat to Zachary and took a protective stance behind his slayer. He kept his hands on Buffy's shoulders and occasionally let his fingers drift into her soft hair. No doubt about it. He understood exactly what the young man was feeling.  
  
"I take it you haven't used a crossbow before?" Giles said.  
  
"Uh, no sir."  
  
"I'll give you and Dawn some lessons here in the training room starting tomorrow. You two will be with me outside the warehouse. We'll be in the safest area. But we need to be armed in case the Fire demons try and stop Anya and her demon coven from their chanting . . . Do you know what a Fire demon is?" The expression on Zachary's face told Giles that he did not. "Well, here's a picture of one here." Giles picked up a book from the store counter and handed it to Dawn. "Dawn's never seen one either. But she has seen a selection of other demons . . ."  
  
Giles re-outlined the plan for Zachary's benefit and then continued on to explain the ceremony to Anya. After which, he asked if there were any questions.  
  
"Are we going to be using Jonathan in any of this," Xander asked. "I'm still keeping an eye on him. Should I plan on dragging him along?"  
  
"No," Buffy said. "I don't trust him. We used him when we didn't have Spike. But now that Spike's back, I don't want him around."  
  
"Any more questions?" Giles asked. "No? Then I guess we can adjourn."  
  
Zachary felt a little light headed and shaky as he got to his feet. He couldn't believe what he was getting into. Crossbows and demons? The only thing that kept him grounded was Dawn's hand in his.  
  
"We'll meet you all at home," Dawn called as she led Zachary out.  
  
"OK," Buffy said. "Spike and I have to go visit the Shadows. But Giles and Xander will be right behind you . . . Right guys?"  
  
"What?" Giles said. "Oh, yes, quite."  
  
"Actually," Xander said, "I thought I'd stay and help Anya close up the shop."  
  
"Oh, no," Anya said. "You have to go with Giles. Agatha might be watching. We've got to pretend that we're not involved, that I'm absolutely furious with you, and can't stand to be around you."  
  
"Sounds familiar somehow," Spike said, earning a shove from Buffy.  
  
"But . . . but . . ." Xander said.  
  
"I told you," Anya whispered, "we'll sneak in a quickie. Just not for a day or so. You go on home now with Giles. I don't want to talk to you!" She made the last words sound angry, just in case Agatha or her soon-to-be- boss were listening in. Then she picked up the money from the cash register and carried it off to the back room to put it in the safe.  
  
"But . . . but . . ." Xander repeated.  
  
"Know how you feel, mate," Spike said.  
  
"It won't be for too long," Buffy encouraged.  
  
"Yeah, but . . ."  
  
"In the meantime, you've still got us."  
  
"Somehow, that's not the same thing," Xander said.  
  
"We'd better get on to the Shadows, Luv," Spike said, slipping his arm around Buffy's waist.  
  
"Yeah, we'll see you guys at home," Buffy said.  
  
"Right," Giles said.  
  
Buffy and Spike left the shop hand in hand, leaving the two bachelors to themselves.  
  
"So, I guess it's just us for dinner," Giles said. "Shall we pick something up on the way?"  
  
"I guess," Xander sighed.  
  
Outside the shop, Buffy and Spike had only gone about a block when they saw Dawn and Zachary ahead of them. They were kissing sweetly, just out reach of the street light.  
  
Buffy pulled Spike into the nearest alley where they could see the young couple, but keep out of their way. "Aren't they cute?" she asked peering around the corner.  
  
"Yeah," Spike agreed. "I'm glad those two are back together. Guess he's not such a wanker after all." He pressed her against the wall and nuzzled her neck. "Giving me ideas too."  
  
"Stop it," Buffy said, pushing him back. "We've still got to visit the Shadows. Business before pleasure."  
  
"I guess," Spike said with a sigh.  
  
Buffy took his hand with a slight smile and led him through the back alley so they wouldn't have to pass Dawn and Zachary.  
  
It was pretty late by the time Buffy and Spike got home. Dawn and Giles were already tucked away and asleep. Only Xander was sitting up, lodged on the couch, crunching on some crackers. With a house full of mostly women, there wasn't much in the way of junk food to consume. When Buffy came home hungry after slaying, she tended to want meat in the form of a sandwich or dinner leftovers. With things so much up in the air at that point, it was actually Dawn who had thought of buying groceries. She and Zachary had picked up some things on the way home. Giles and Xander had brought only their own dinners.  
  
"So, how are things in the slaying world?" Xander asked as his hostess came in.  
  
"Did a quick patrol after meeting with the Shadows," Buffy said. "Ohanzee was impressed with both Tara and the plan. The furry little Nazari almost knocked himself out bowing to us, he was so happy to be involved. Speaker says this is his big chance to be a hero like us. Ohanzee agreed to be in Anya's coven also, along with a few of the other Shadows. But he was more proper than the Nazari. I kinda think the Shadows are the most proper demons I've ever met. Although Ledic is pretty proper too."  
  
"I'm glad everybody's so happy about Anya's coven," Xander said with a trace of bitterness.  
  
"It won't be for long," Buffy said. "Be over before you know it. Is anybody else hungry? I could sure use a snack."  
  
Spike smirked at his predictable little slayer. "Hungry? No. But I think I could use a beer. How about you, Harris? Wanna join me?"  
  
"Sure. Why not? Haven't drunk myself into a stupor yet."  
  
Buffy made herself a sandwich and ate it in the kitchen while Spike brought a couple of cans of beer into the livingroom for him and Xander.  
  
"Know how you feel, Mate," Spike said, handing Xander a cold one. "Don't matter if it's only for a few days. No fun being away from your girl."  
  
"Everything just feels so out of control," Xander said, hitting the arm of the couch for emphasis.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Been thinking. If you and the demon girl need a place to sneak off to, feel free to use my crypt."  
  
Xander almost choked on his beer. Had he come to this? Sneaking around to have sex with his fiancée . . . in Spike's crypt? He was horrified at the thought. But at the same time he knew Spike was trying to be nice. He didn't want to hurt the vamp's feelings . . . Or Buffy's for that matter, since he had the impression they'd both spent a lot of time there together before everyone found out about them.  
  
"I know it's not the prettiest place around," Spike continued, "but it's private. I doubt any of Anya's demon pals will come snooping there."  
  
"Yeah . . . Well, thanks, "Xander said.  
  
"Buffy and I can go over tomorrow and clean up. We'll walk through the tunnels to keep outta the sun. We'll have the place looking all neat and posh for you."  
  
"Again, thanks," Xander said.  
  
"Anytime. Know what it's like to go sneaking around. Least it won't be for long."  
  
At that point, Buffy had finished her sandwich. "I'm going to bed now, Guys," she said, coming in from the kitchen. "You coming, Spike?"  
  
"In a few minutes."  
  
"OK," Buffy said. She headed off in the direction of the stairs. "Good night, Xander."  
  
"Night."  
  
"You plan on sleeping down here?" Spike asked.  
  
"Thinking about it. Not really comfortable with the idea of bunking in with Giles."  
  
"Well, I can tell you the couch is comfortable. Never had any trouble sleeping on it when I thought I was William."  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you, were you really a poet?"  
  
"Dawn told you, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, it's true. But don't let it get around. I'm evil now. You know, the Big Bad?"  
  
"Won't say a word."  
  
"You want I should get you some sheets or something?"  
  
"No. Figure I'll just sack out here as is. Maybe the droning TV will eventually put me to sleep. I'm not used to being away from Anya."  
  
"I hear ya, Mate."  
  
Xander frowned wondering how he'd gotten himself into this. He'd let his girl go off and turn into a demon without even a fight. Or at least, not much of one. A big part of him was afraid he might lose her. And here he was, throwing back a beer with a vampire who called himself the Big Bad one minute and offered him sheets the next. Sad. "I told Anya all the reasons why I didn't want her to do this. But she didn't listen."  
  
"Buffy never listens either. All you can do is pick your fights and scream loud when you have to."  
  
"Maybe I didn't scream loud enough."  
  
"Might not have made any difference. Face it, Harris. We like our women strong and independent. Which means sometimes they're gonna drive us balmy."  
  
"Ya got that right."  
  
"Well," Spike said, putting down his empty can on the coffee table. "Better be turning in now. Any beasties attack in the night or you need anything, just scream."  
  
"Will do."  
  
"And there's plenty more beer in the fridge if you need it."  
  
"I'll keep it mind," Xander said, thoughtfully wiping away some of the dampness on his beer can.  
  
Spike hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should thank Xander for leading the rescue party to Warren's and getting him out of there. But then he realized, maybe in a way he already had thanked him. There were just some things he and Harris would never say to each other. They were just understood.  
  
When Spike got upstairs, he found Buffy sitting up in bed still fully clothed, reading from several sheets of bound typewritten paper.  
  
"So, did you guys do the male bonding thing?" Buffy asked.  
  
"As much as me and Harris can," Spike answered. "What'cha reading?"  
  
"Dawn's composition about Mom. She left it on my bureau for me to read. It's really beautiful."  
  
"I know." He climbed onto the bed from the other side and leaned back against the headboard.  
  
"You helped her with it."  
  
"Actually, William did that."  
  
"Not exactly. I remember you talking about it before."  
  
"Did I?"  
  
"There's more William in you than you let on," Buffy said, looking at him slyly. "Especially in the kitchen."  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Not exactly something I'd like to get out."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll keep it in the family." She put Dawn's composition aside and curled into Spike's arms. "What happened to your mom?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You talked about her a lot when you were William."  
  
"After I died, she became a recluse. Didn't tell her what I was or keep in touch with her. I mean, I was trying to be the Big Bad and Big Bads aren't supposed to worry about their Mums. But I kept track of her. Visited her grave and all that after she died."  
  
"Any regrets?"  
  
"Some. Suppose that's why I liked hanging out with your Mum."  
  
"I wonder what Mom would think of all this?"  
  
"Of us?"  
  
"Of everything. Of you and me, Willow, Zachary and Dawn. I can't help but feel Mom died too young."  
  
"Can't fight everything, Slayer. No matter how strong you are."  
  
"Guess not." She looked up into his deep blue eyes. "Do you know I love you?"  
  
"Heard a rumor," he said pulling her closer. 


	63. Chapter Sixty-Three - Preparations

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE  
  
Preparations  
  
  
  
The next few days were mostly full of preparations as February 2nd drew closer.  
  
Zachary and Dawn began training immediately with Giles at the Magic Box. She was better at sparring than Zachary because she'd seen her sister kill demons for years. It came to her almost naturally. Meanwhile, Zachary excelled at the crossbow. He was both surprised and pleased, figuring his little brother wasn't the only one who'd gotten their dad's athletic ability after all. Too bad he couldn't have his dad come and sit on the sidelines to watch him fight demons.  
  
After a couple of days of working out with Giles only, Buffy and Spike joined the teens in their training exercises. They practiced the crossbow as a group, shooting at targets at the opposite end of the room while moving around. Then they practiced sparring, Buffy with Dawn and Spike with Zachary.  
  
When Zachary heard that he would be sparring alone with Spike, he was quite afraid. Sparring with a real vampire was not something you took lightly, after all. He told Giles that he preferred to train just with him, but Giles was insistent.  
  
"Spike's strength and speed are beyond mine," Giles said. "And he can teach you things that I cannot."  
  
Zachary grimaced, but didn't say anything. He wasn't the type to question authority. He went into the training room as if he were going to his execution. The closing of the door behind him echoed endlessly, like a cell door in some old prison movie that they play late at night just before the infomercials.  
  
"So, you ready, kid?" Spike asked.  
  
Zachary muttered a nervous, "Uh huh."  
  
Spike removed his duster and said, "OK, go!" He didn't give the kid a chance to prep because the Fire demons weren't going to give him a chance to prep.  
  
Zachary flinched when he saw Spike coming at him. He forgot everything that Giles had taught him about stance and posture. Instead he put his hands up in front of his face, palms out, and shut his eyes.  
  
Spike stopped immediately. "Is that how the old Watcher taught you to fight?" the vampire asked. "Eyes shut and a stupid git expression on your face?"  
  
Zachary opened his eyes. "Uh, no."  
  
"Didn't think so. Pull that kind of stuff and you'll be dead right quick. And I for one don't fancy going to anymore funerals for a while. Now, did the Watcher teach you anything about attitude?"  
  
"No. He taught me basic kick boxing and wrestling moves."  
  
"OK. Those are all well and good, but you need to know more than just the moves. You gotta show your opponent attitude, convince 'em you're gonna win. And you gotta do that even if you know the odds are against you."  
  
"You mean you want me to act tough?"  
  
"Right. Think you can do that?"  
  
"Um . . ."  
  
"'Um?' Is that your answer? You're already approaching this all wrong, Mate. Gotta act like you're the Big Bad. Convince 'em you're fighting cos you like it. Cos you enjoy the kill."  
  
"You mean, be like you."  
  
"Well . . . yeah."  
  
Zachary groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was to be like Spike.  
  
"Now," Spike said, "let's see how you stand when you face your opponent."  
  
The boy moved himself into one of the poses that Giles had taught him. Then he tried to squeeze the muscles of his face into what he thought was a fierce expression. Unfortunately, it looked more like shocked agony.  
  
"Well . . . at least you're showing some teeth," Spike said, sighing. "There's a mirror over there on the wall, go and look into it."  
  
Zachary did as he was told. What he saw was a young man with glasses, round cheeks, and full lips. It wasn't the face of a demon hunter.  
  
"OK," Spike said. "Give me an angry expression. Pretend you're in a play or something."  
  
Zachary saw only his own face in the mirror, even though Spike was standing right behind him. Not having to look at Spike made things a little easier. He brought his eyebrows together and pursed his lips together tightly.  
  
"Not bad," Spike said. "Wrinkle up the forehead a little more. And give me a sneer with that mouth. Show me some of your teeth again. . . . Good. Good. Now hold that expression. Pay attention to how it feels. Hold it as turn around and look at me."  
  
Slowly the boy turned, holding his face muscles in place.  
  
"Very good! Now, show me some of those stances that the Watcher gave you. Do 'em nice and slow and hold that expression."  
  
It took so much concentration to hold his face in place, that all of Zachary's movements were very wooden. Still, it was a definite improvement.  
  
"Good," Spike said. "Now, pretend that I'm a Fire demon and I'm coming toward you. I'm gonna get right up into your face. Don't let me scare you." Spike stepped up close to Zachary, giving him a sneer. But Zachary didn't budge. "Good, now stare me down. Don't let me intimidate you, Mate. That's right. Fire demons are on the wimpy side when they're not shooting fireballs. So you'll find that if you just stand your ground with them you'll be fine. Next we're going to practice having me come at you." Spike picked up an unloaded crossbow and handed it to his student. "Your job is gonna be to shoot me before I reach you. Course, I'm not giving you any arrows cos I don't want to end up as a big pile of dust. But I'll still hear you snap the bow because vampires have special hearing. We also have more speed than Fire demons. So if you can react to me well under pressure, you can handle a Fire demon."  
  
Spike took a few slow practice runs at Zachary. Then he sped things up and added some growling. The boy was reacting well, his reflexes were strong and his aim was too. So, Spike decided to test him. He came at him at a good clip, changing into game face on his way across the floor.  
  
Zachary reacted by screaming and throwing his crossbow up in the air.  
  
Immediately, Giles came running. "What happened?" he said, sticking his head in the door.  
  
"Just startled the lad," Spike explained calmly, still in game face. "He didn't expect me to change faces on him."  
  
Giles hesitated. Zachary was breathing hard and his eyes were wild, but he looked unhurt. This was one of the things that Spike could teach the boy that he couldn't. "Very well, then. Carry on," Giles said and then departed.  
  
Fearful young eyes turned back to Spike. He was in a mad house, he knew that now.  
  
"I know this look is shocking to you," Spike said, waving toward his game face. "But believe me, I'm a lot better looking than a Fire demon. They're all lizard-like with orange and gray scales."  
  
"Orange?"  
  
"Yeah. I think that's cos they live in dark places. The orange allows them to recognize each other quickly. Too bad Giles only had a black and white photo to show you. Anyway. Now we're gonna practice my running at you thing with me looking like a demon. You've got to do what you have to, no matter what kind of face is coming at you. Get that?"  
  
"Uh . . ." was all that Zachary could manage.  
  
Spike took that as a yes. "Good. Pick up your crossbow and let's start off more slowly again."  
  
They went on until Zachary could aim and shoot his crossbow even with Spike coming at him at almost full vamp speed, changing faces as he went. Then they worked on some hand to hand wrestling, first with Spike in human face and then with him in vamp face. It was late by the time the young man went home and he was exhausted. But he felt that he had truly learned something.  
  
They worked for another day or so before they finally had Giles sit in.  
  
"Isn't he great?" Spike said, patting Zachary on the back a little too hard. The vampire glowed like a proud papa.  
  
"Excellent!" Giles said. "We'll cut down on the sparring a bit now and concentrate once again on the crossbow."  
  
From then on, they sparred for brief sessions in the same room at the same time when Buffy and Dawn worked out. Somehow, during their sparring lessons, Zachary had picked up Spike's tendency to growl. Dawn noticed it one day and made a point of telling him how cute she thought it was.  
  
Zachary looked stricken. Cute? He'd been trying to look macho.  
  
From the other end of the room, Spike heard their conversation. He saw the crestfallen look on his protégé's face and went over to talk to him. "Don't worry, Mate," the vampire said. "Cute doesn't mean the same thing to women that it does to us. To them, cute is a compliment. It's got nothing to do with virility and everything to do with attraction. Besides Dawn wouldn't be attracted to a wuss. Summers women like a little monster in their men."  
  
"Really?" Zachary asked.  
  
"Yeah. Yours is just . . . a little less obvious than mine is all."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Anya became a vengeance demon again the day after Xander moved out. She granted Tara's vengeance wish against Doc immediately after. She even gave Tara the words to use in the wish so it wouldn't turn on her or Buffy later.  
  
"The words you use in a wish are very important," Anya told Tara. "A lot of people use bad wording and so mess up their wishes. But with this . . ." she handed Tara a 5 by 10 inch file card written in her precise hand, "no one will be able to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. It doesn't matter if Willow does it, or Doc, or someone else. But it still allows her to die by causes that are natural to her state of immortality."  
  
"It reads like a legal document," Tara observed.  
  
"Well, in a way it is. It's your agreement with me and the professional organization of vengeance demons. It's a binding contract. And it took me two hours to work it up so there wouldn't be any loopholes. This wish should be absolutely air tight. That's the kind of service you should get when you deal with a seasoned professional."  
  
"Oh," Tara said, trying not to smile. "Thank you for being thorough . . . and professional."  
  
"I promised Xander. No more Erics. So that means no more loopholes and watching out for the rights of all parties involved."  
  
Xander wasn't happy about having to continue sleeping on Buffy's couch. But it didn't take him long to see that Anya was still very much the girl he'd fallen in love with. Except that she seemed happier. When they had Scoobie meetings, she spoke up with more authority and was given more respect. He had to admit, at least to himself, that the experience seemed to be good for her. She felt honored when Buffy passed the Diamond of Gunab to her. She saw it as an important token of respect because the diamond was so crucial to their plans. She especially loved the meetings with her prospective demon coven. Giles took her to practice sessions with them in the mining tunnels of Ohanzee. The Shadows esteemed Anya, both for her age as a demon and for her part in the Imbolc drama.  
  
The only negative for both Xander and Anya was the short amount of time they got to spend alone. Anya was still afraid that D'Hoffryn might be watching her. So the two lovers snuck off to the cellar of the Magic Box occasionally. Xander would arrive through the tunnels to reduce suspicion. It was cramped and crowded. But they'd made love there before so it felt familiar to them. Xander still considered it better than Spike's crypt.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Meanwhile, Tara watched over Willow and delivered messages back and forth. If she'd been alive, she would have been exhausted. But she didn't need sleep in the conventional sense. For her, resting in one place while invisible in a sort of a meditative state served much the same purpose. Especially when she held physical form for a long time.  
  
During her undercover work, she found herself thinking well of Ledic more and more. He spoke his mind truthfully and had a great love for his people.  
  
"As soon as the Slayer starts to defeat Doc and Rack," Ledic said, "Some of my people will see how foolish this alliance has been. I will try to lead as many as I can away from the battle."  
  
"I'm sure that would be fine with Buffy," Tara said. "It means less people for her to fight. Ledic, what if your people find out that you've been working with us? They might execute you as a traitor."  
  
"Then I will die a hero's death. For the freedom of my people."  
  
At that point they were in an underground maze of tunnels in a partially flooded turnoff. Ledic was carrying a flashlight with him because it was too dark even for him to see. As he said these last words, he tilted up his snout so that his yellow eyes were thrown into shadow and his orange and gray throat was highlighted.  
  
Tara considered him for a moment. "You're a good man, Ledic."  
  
"Man?"  
  
"I mean demon," she said with a smile.  
  
"And you . . . You are not like any ghost I have ever seen. Fire demons live a long time. I have seen ghosts. Some are merely reflections of the past that can neither hear nor see. Some are driven to repeat things or perhaps they search. Very few move and act as you do."  
  
"I guess that's because I'm not an ordinary ghost. I was brought back by magic by my lover, the woman that Rack and Doc are holding."  
  
"Ah." Ledic understood. "She is your mate." There had been something about the tireless way that Tara served this cause that spoke more of love than of duty. It made sense that the red haired witch was her mate.  
  
"Willow gave me full use of free will when she called me back. I can be visible like this, invisible, or in a completely solid form."  
  
"Solid? You mean . . . as you were?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That is not like an ordinary ghost."  
  
"No. But then I was brought back by magic. I'm not complaining. I would have chosen to come back. Because I knew Willow would need me."  
  
"My mate is dead. She died shortly before Doc came to my home looking for recruits for his army. He only wanted single males. Which is strange by our standards because female Fire demons fight with males. It is the same with the Shadows. That is yet another reason why we understand each other. They are also long lived like us, and have few offspring. My mate and I had none. So I was free to come here and do what I could to discourage this alliance. I knew it would be bad for my people. Fire demons stand alone and live alone. That is our way."  
  
"I think it's close to dawn now," Tara said. "I want to get back to Willow. There's usually no one around her at this hour."  
  
"Yes. It is the time when the creatures of the night grow tired and the creatures of the day are not yet up."  
  
"I like to take on solid form then so I can give Willow some physical closeness and comfort. I believe it will help her come back to herself when we drain off Rack's power and I smash the crystals around her."  
  
"You're going now to your mate?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then I will come and watch for you. It will give you more time. And I have no need to sleep now."  
  
Tara thanked Ledic graciously. And from then on he watched for her whenever she was able to steal a few minutes with Willow.  
  
The hard part for Tara came when Doc finally decided that Willow was enough under his control to end Buffy's resurrection spell. He gathered the needed items around her and led her through it three days before Imbolc. Of course by then, Anya had granted Tara's wish to foil the spell. But not knowing that, Doc went on.  
  
Willow's movements during the counter-spell were wooden and her voice was low. Tara had the impression that Willow was holding back somewhat. She moved at Doc's commands slowly and hesitated several times. Was there some place inside Willow's mind that was still fighting back? Whatever it was, Doc didn't seem to care. A few stray thoughts were of no interest to him. It was the completed action that was important.  
  
At the conclusion of the spell, Doc had Willow light a number of magical items in a silver container. A thin ribbon of smoke rose from the tiny fire and gave birth to a magical cloud of dark gray that was not visible to mortal eyes, but could be seen by Tara quite clearly. It grew and grew, until it reached an ominous size that completely filled Willow's enclosure. Doc sensed the cloud as it grew in potency and was finally released, up and out of the warehouse. But he couldn't follow it to its destination as Tara could. She flew after the cloud and followed it to the Magic Box training room where Buffy and the rest of her crossbow entourage were practicing late that afternoon.  
  
The dark gray cloud approached Buffy unseen by the physical beings in the room. It tried to surround her. But a green light moved out from her body and diffused the cloud, causing a brief shower of sparks as it did so. Unlike the cloud, the sparks were visible to mortal eyes. Buffy instinctively pointed her crossbow at the sparks. But of course they weren't something she could shoot. Dawn cried out and Zachary moved to her side protectively. Spike moved to Buffy's side. He reached out and tried to touch the sparks, but his hands passed through them. Xander stood at the ready with his crossbow, turning around and around, ready to shoot any intruders. Giles lowered his crossbow. He had a pretty good idea what was going on. As soon as Tara saw the reactions of the others, she started to change into solid form.  
  
"What is it?" Giles asked Tara.  
  
"Doc just tried to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. But Anya's wish stopped it. As soon as it came in contact with Buffy, it just disappeared in a harmless glitter show."  
  
"What happened?" Anya said, rushing in. "I felt a power surge in here."  
  
"Doc tried to undo Buffy's resurrection," Tara said.  
  
"And it failed . . . obviously," Anya said. "It's nice to know I still have it."  
  
Spike dropped his crossbow to his side and wrapped his free arm around Buffy's waist, pulling her close against him.  
  
"Yes, it failed," Giles said. "The question is, will Doc realize it?"  
  
"I'll go back and see," Tara said. "But I think Anya's wish destroyed the counter-spell. I don't see any remainder of it left."  
  
"You can see traces of magic?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Giles was impressed. "Good. So, we can hope that he will assume the counter spell worked. Still, he'll probably send someone out to check, just in case."  
  
"If he does," Tara said, "It will be Amy. She knows all of us and I get the impression that Doc and Rack trust her."  
  
"You will warn us when she's coming," Giles said.  
  
"Of course. I'll give you a whole play-by-play on her."  
  
"She may already be on her way. So, we've got to prepare at once. Buffy, you should stay out of sight until we're sure Doc is convinced."  
  
"No problem. I can just hang out at Spike's crypt. She won't think to look there."  
  
"Well, I did sort of promise it . . ." Spike said, referring to his offer to Xander and Anya.  
  
"Oh, right," Buffy said, turning to Xander. "Well, I could go out for a while and give you guys some time . . ."  
  
"No!" Xander said, a little too loudly. "What I mean is . . . if one or more of us goes there, we might be followed."  
  
"Good point," Giles said.  
  
"So, we'll leave right away then," Spike said.  
  
"No," Giles said. "There is no 'we' on this. Buffy goes alone. Willow knows of your relationship, which means Doc knows as well. Therefore, it will be your job to act as chief mourner. If you're missing from the scene it will look suspicious."  
  
Spike growled under his breath, but he didn't argue. He knew the Watcher was right.  
  
"Buffy, I think you should go right away just in case."  
  
"And I'd better get back to the warehouse," Tara said.  
  
"Wait," Giles said. "Before you go, I need to know what kind of counter- spell they did. That way I can infer how she was supposed to have disappeared."  
  
"Of course," Tara said. She outlined the particulars to him and then dissolved away.  
  
"I'm off too," Buffy said, grabbing her jacket. "If I'm spending the night, I've gotta stop off at the supermarket and pick up some food." She gave Spike a fleeting kiss. "I suppose I shouldn't patrol either."  
  
"No," Giles agreed. "Stay close to home . . . so to speak."  
  
"Sounds like a barrel of laughs. Me and a bag of chips." She poked Spike in the stomach. "That TV of yours better work."  
  
"It worked fine the day we went there to clean up the place."  
  
"You mean when *I* cleaned up the place, don't you? God, I miss William!"  
  
Spike pulled Buffy in roughly and kissed her more thoroughly. "No you don't," he said in a low voice.  
  
"Mmm. Maybe not," Buffy admitted. She kissed him again and said, "Hold that thought. . . . Bye all!" And with that headed out the back way into the alley. Spike look after her, wishing he could go too.  
  
"All right," Giles said. "Anya, you carry on here as usual. The rest of us should get back to Buffy's in case Amy comes checking."  
  
"So," Xander said, clapping Spike on the back. "I guess you're part of the bachelor brigade tonight.  
  
"Looks like," Spike said joylessly.  
  
"What say we buy some more bruskies on the way home and plan a nice long evening in front of the telly tipping 'em back?"  
  
"You two have got to stay sober," Giles cautioned. "We have some playacting to do for Amy. After that, you can get as sloshed as you like."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said, leading the way out.  
  
Spike groaned and then followed.  
  
Giles hesitated to shake his head and clean his glasses. Spending the night with those Xander and Spike was not going to be fun.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
It wasn't long before Amy started on her way uptown to Buffy's house, of course not knowing that she was being trailed by a ghost. When she was about four blocks away, Tara zapped to Buffy's kitchen where everyone but Anya and Buffy were gathered.  
  
"She's coming!" Tara announced excitedly.  
  
"Amy?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then what say we enact that little play we decided on?" Giles said.  
  
"I'm ready," Dawn said. "You Spike?"  
  
"Ready, Bit."  
  
Dawn slipped her fingers around Zachary's hand. "How about you, Zack?"  
  
"I'm ready," Zachary said, adjusting his glasses. "If I can't do some playacting for a witch, how am I ever going to face down a load of Fire demons?"  
  
"Well put," Giles said. "Tara, will you let us know where our audience will be stationed?"  
  
"Will do," Tara said. And she faded out.  
  
As it turned out, Amy settled herself behind the tree in the front yard where Spike and Buffy had confronted each other so many countless times over the last few years. From her point of view it looked like there was an argument going on in the house. The livingroom drapes were drawn back and the lights were on inside. So she could see clearly everything that went on against the gathering gloom of early evening.  
  
To Amy, Dawn seemed very upset. She was pacing back and forth furiously in the livingroom. Her young boyfriend was trying to calm her down. Xander looked confused. Giles was talking, obviously trying to placate Dawn. Spike came in from the kitchen also looking very upset. He tried to talk to Dawn too, but she walked away from him. Spike followed and tried to put his arms around her, but she shoved him aside and walked out of the house and onto the front porch.  
  
Dawn went to the railing on the side closest to the tree where she knew Amy was hiding. She was breathing rapidly, trying to distress herself further. She wondered if she might even want to faint, but decided against it because the idea seemed too cheesy.  
  
Zachary came out of the house and put his arms around Dawn. But she didn't seem to notice him. Spike came out next.  
  
"Bit . . ." Spike said, "you know I wouldn't let anything happen to Buffy. There was just nothing I could do. We were watching television and then all of a sudden she started clutching at the air. Before I could even think, she'd become a withered corpse. Then she poofed into dust and even that disappeared."  
  
"You were supposed to protect her!" Dawn accused, her eyes angry slits.  
  
"I did. I would have . . . you know I would have. There just wasn't anything I could do."  
  
Giles came out of the house, still looking to placate Dawn. "It was either someone undoing Buffy's resurrection spell, or it was caused somehow by the fact that the spell that brought her back was interrupted."  
  
"I can't believe I lost her again." Dawn said, her voice cracking. She was remembering how it had been when Buffy was away. How desperately lonely she had been, even with Tara and Willow living in the house with her. She recalled how frightened she'd been for a while after Buffy got back, terrified that something might happen to take her away again. If Willow had actually undone Buffy's resurrection, even under Doc's control, would she have hated her? She hated Doc, that much was for sure. And she hated Amy for helping him.  
  
"I'm sorry," Giles said. "We're all sorry. But to be fair, it wasn't Spike's fault."  
  
"Yes it was!" Dawn said. Her eyes were flashing as she turned around and walked right up into Spike's face. She was talking to him, but her words were really meant for Amy. "I hate you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I've never hated anyone more! I wish you were dead! You should go away and never come back here!" And with that she ran stomping into the house and up the stairs to her room.  
  
Giles was taken back by the intensity of Dawn's words. They were so full of real hate and grief. He knew he had the next lines, but he couldn't quite find his voice.  
  
Spike had an expression of incredible pain and loss on his face. Dawn's anguish was his. He was remembering how he'd felt when Buffy had died. How his world had come crashing down with her broken body. He'd had nothing to live for then except for Dawn. He remembered the guilt he'd felt at not protecting her as he'd promised. The endless nights when he'd dreamt of successfully saving Buffy from her fate. The hurt he'd felt when the Scoobies had used his help after she was gone, but still kept him out of their inner circle. And here were Doc and Amy trying to do it all over again.  
  
Xander came cautiously out of the house.  
  
"I think we should just leave her alone for a while," Giles said finally in a soft voice. "I'll do some investigating, but I really doubt if we can get Buffy back."  
  
Spike turned around and covered his face with his left hand. Real tears were coming to his eyes. His muscles tightened as he struggled with his own rage.  
  
"I think I'd better get home," Zachary said.  
  
"I'll walk you," Xander offered. "I could use the air."  
  
Zachary nodded slightly. They had agreed that Xander would walk the teen home just in case Amy tried to follow him. They figured Xander could handle a question and answer session from her better than Zachary could on his own.  
  
After the two young men were well off down the block, Giles said to Spike, "Dawn will get through this. She's just lost her sister again and . . ."  
  
"I lost Buffy too, you know," Spike said spinning around, his eyes glistening in the porch light. "She's everything to me. Even more now than before. I would have done anything if I could have stopped what happened." He stalked to the spot at the porch railing where Dawn had been standing. His emotions were building up and up and so was the tone in his voice. "I almost went mad when I lost Buffy the last time. Did you know that? Did you and your little Scoobies even care? You all acted like you had lost something and you didn't even begin to understand what I had lost. The only thing that kept me sane back then was Dawn. And if she turns away from me . . ."  
  
With a sob, Spike grabbed the porch railing and ripped it clean away. Then he threw it at the tree where Amy was hiding, where it shattered into 147 days worth of pieces.  
  
Giles's expression was one of honest shock and horror. They had planned for Spike to have a break-down but no one had mentioned anything about doing something like this. He was afraid of what the vampire might do next.  
  
Spike breathed heavily. When his voice came again it shook as if he were having trouble controlling it. "Don't you believe me . . . Giles, that I would do anything . . . for Buffy and Dawn? . . . Give my life? . . . Go to Hell and back?" His voice got softer. "I love them." Tears slid down his face.  
  
Giles knew Spike's tears were real and that his words were somehow more than playacting. "Yes, I know, Spike," Giles said gently. He suddenly understood a lot more about Buffy and Spike's relationship. How strong it was and how it included Dawn. He felt a little ashamed of himself for not having realized sooner. "I know you love them."  
  
Silence fell between the two men for a moment. Then Giles spoke again. "Now, I think we'd better go inside. For Dawn's sake we should try to be calm."  
  
Spike nodded, spent. He let Giles wave him inside. Giles followed and shut the door after them.  
  
Without looking back, Spike walked directly into the kitchen, where he knew Amy couldn't see them. He leaned the lower part of his body against the sink and gripped one of the handles on the cabinets above. He hadn't meant to give so much of his feelings away. He was embarrassed. But mostly, he was just tired. If Buffy had been there somewhere hiding away in the house, it would have seemed less real and more like playacting. This was too real. When Giles walked into the kitchen Spike still couldn't speak.  
  
"Well . . ." Giles said, "I'm pretty sure you sold Amy."  
  
Tara materialized just next to Giles. "Amy's running down the block away from here," Tara said. "You really scared her!"  
  
"Scared me a bit too," Giles confessed.  
  
Spike nodded, avoiding Giles's eyes.  
  
"Of course," Giles said, "though Amy may be convinced, Doc may not be. We'll have to wait till morning. If Doc doesn't send Amy or someone else by the time Dawn goes to school and Xander goes off to work, he probably won't. Then, Spike, you can go and bring Buffy home. Now, I think one of us should go upstairs and explain to Dawn what just happened outside. She may be concerned."  
  
"I'll go," Spike said.  
  
"Fine," Giles said. He thought it was good for them to have some bonding time. They'd both touched emotions that were obviously still raw.  
  
"I'd better get on Amy's tail," Tara said.  
  
"Quite," Giles agreed.  
  
When Spike went up to Dawn's room, he found her standing and waiting at the door.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She had visions of a full blown fight going on outside, possibly with Doc or Amy. "I heard this big crashing explosion."  
  
"It's all right, Bit," Spike said. "I just got carried away with my playacting. Your big Sis is gonna be cross with me when she sees what I did."  
  
"You do know that I didn't mean anything I said, right? I meant it for Amy and Doc."  
  
"Oh, of course," Spike said, waving her words away. "Just remembering what it was like when your big Sis was gone, is all. Got carried away."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I kinda tapped into that too."  
  
"But she's not gone," Spike said, putting his arm around her. "She's just waiting in my crypt eating chips. Gotta remember that."  
  
"Yeah. Watching that old clunker of a TV you got there."  
  
"I should have her back here for you by the time you get home from school tomorrow afternoon."  
  
Dawn let her head fall on his shoulder. "The sooner the better."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
As it turned out, Doc believed the story that Amy brought him. So Buffy was able to come home the next day, much to the relief of her family, extended and otherwise.  
  
Doc had seen Spike's devotion to the Slayer the year before and he knew her disappearance would devastate him. He pictured the scene in his mind as Amy described it. It seemed very likely that madness would follow, just as the vampire had said. The thought made Doc smile.  
  
He was also glad to hear how distraught the Key girl was. It served her right for standing in the way of Glory's plans. Doc assumed the Watcher would try to bring their precious Buffy back. But of course they wouldn't be able to. He'd chosen that particular counter-spell for a reason. Once her body was turned to dust and her molecules scattered, she would be virtually impossible to reassemble. At last the first part of his revenge was complete.  
  
Doc figured that the Slayer's friends would be so busy trying to get her back that they would either forget about the warehouse doings, or feel too weakened to move against him. So he could continue on with the rest of his plans unmolested.  
  
At least, that's what he thought. 


	64. Chapter Sixty-Four - Twas the Night Befo...

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR  
  
Twas the Night Before Imbolc . . .  
  
  
  
On the night before Imbolc, Giles had a final meeting at Buffy's house with the Scoobies to go over last minute details. Everyone was a little on edge. They'd been preparing nonstop for the big battle. They were ready to roll. When Giles declared the meeting adjourned, they all started off in their own directions. But Giles asked Buffy and Spike to hold back for a moment.  
  
"What's the deal?" Buffy asked, plopping back down onto the couch with Spike at her left. "Is there some secret nasty we need to hunt?"  
  
"Well, not literally," Giles said. "It's just something I feel I need to say."  
  
"Sounds serious."  
  
"I believe it is. I am no longer officially your watcher. But you've let me fall back into my old role this last week and in that capacity, I feel I should point this out."  
  
Buffy and Spike exchanged a concerned glance. Their first assumption was that it was about their relationship.  
  
"When I first got here, you told me how you found out that you were immortal from the Guide in the desert and how it was confirmed by the wound you received at the hands of one of Anyanka's old victims and yet again by the Diamond of Gunab. But it doesn't seem that you've spent much time since then considering what this immortality means. I know it's not something you chose. But nevertheless it's a part of who you are now."  
  
Giles's words rang in Spike's ears, "I know it's not something you chose." With everything that had been happening, Spike had almost forgotten. The Guide had also told Buffy that she had chosen to come back of her own free will. She'd told him, but not anyone else. He guessed it was because she didn't believe it. He glanced at her and the look was returned briefly. If she knew what he was wondering about, she gave no hint. It was something he thought he should bring up to her later.  
  
"In terms of your weaknesses for instance . . ." Giles continued.  
  
"I've gotten a few speeches from the undead here," Buffy said with a shrug.  
  
"Yeah," Spike agreed, pushing aside the other issue in his mind. "But she wouldn't listen to me until after something happened."  
  
Giles looked from one to the other of them. "Is there something you haven't told me about?"  
  
"She got badly burned by one of the Fire demons," Spike said. "I tried to warn her beforehand, but she wouldn't listen to me. Just gave me the bird."  
  
"How serious was this injury?" Giles asked.  
  
"Not very," Buffy said.  
  
"Bad enough for you to want to keep it a secret from Dawn," Spike said. "It didn't heal as readily as most of her wounds do."  
  
"That's not altogether surprising. "Fire is the one element that all creatures must fear," Giles said. "Even immortals."  
  
"That's what I told her!" Spike said with a sneer. "But she wouldn't listen to me. Took offense cos she thought I was giving her too much advice."  
  
Buffy made a face at Spike and he returned it.  
  
It was all Giles could do to keep from rolling his eyes. These two were such children sometimes. "Buffy. You need to consider what might be dangerous to you. Fire is one thing. Beheading I'm sure is another. You might also die after having your neck broken. And a sword embedded in you long enough may cause sufficient bleeding to kill you. Suffocation I'm assuming is a danger, since you still need to breathe. In short, immortality doesn't translate into invincibility."  
  
"Check," Buffy said lightly. "The evil undead here has already been singing me that song."  
  
"Has he also talked with you about the possibility that Dawn may grow old and die before you, along with the rest of your mortal friends? Meanwhile, you and Spike will remain as you are now, perhaps even outliving Dawn's great great grandchildren."  
  
The levity in Buffy's face drifted away.  
  
"Didn't tell her that," Spike said, "cos it didn't occur to me. I've never hung around with humans before."  
  
"Well, you are now. So, it's something you both need to face. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But within a few years, Buffy, you may start to notice signs of Dawn's aging. Suddenly she will appear to be the older sister. And then she will seem old enough to pass for your mother. And then she will look old enough to be your grandmother and then . . ."  
  
"I get the picture!" Buffy said. "I just haven't wanted to think about it."  
  
"At some point you will have to. And you need to talk to Dawn about it too. Being immortal makes you a greater warrior perhaps. But it also makes a normal life more difficult."  
  
"That part I got."  
  
"You still have me, Luv," Spike said, taking her hand in his.  
  
"On a more positive note, I think your immortality has solved your money problems," Giles said.  
  
"Scuse me?" Buffy said.  
  
"While I was in the U.K., I tried to get the Watcher's Council to agree to pay you some kind of salary or stipend. But they were adamantly against it. I think they're still angry that you slighted their representatives the last time they were here."  
  
"Dusty old wankers," Spike said.  
  
"Yes, I believe they are," Giles agreed. "I pointed out to them that with Faith in prison, you are likely to be the main slayer for quite some time. But they didn't care. Their collective pride had been wounded."  
  
"Didn't you say there was something positive in all this?" Buffy asked. "Something about my money problems being solved?"  
  
"Yes, I'm getting to that. Anyway, since I found out about your immortality, I thought I should have another go at the Council. I pointed out that in your new state you were likely to become something of  
  
a Master Slayer who would probably outlive Faith and whoever is called after her. I suggested that being on the bad side of such a potentially powerful being is not a good thing and that it would be in their own best interests to keep you on their side."  
  
"And how did they like that?"  
  
"I think they found your immortality a bit frightening. Especially when I mentioned your alliance with Spike. They decided I was right after all and they will be issuing you a monthly stipend effective immediately, mapped out to my specifications. And I will be acting as their go-between."  
  
"So, they're scared of me?"  
  
"Perhaps a little."  
  
"Well," Buffy said, "I don't know how I feel about being eternally allied with the Council. But at least Dawn will be taken of."  
  
"Speaking of allies . . ." Giles continued. He took off his glasses and paced a few steps.  
  
"Uh oh," Buffy said. "Now we're in trouble. He's about to say something he knows we don't want to hear."  
  
Giles put his glasses back on and straightened them properly before speaking. Since he'd gotten back, he seemed even more tweedy and British. "It's just that, speaking in terms of immortality, you must begin finding yourself some long time allies. It's all fine and good that you have Spike. But the more allies you have the better. As much as you don't like the Council of Watchers, they have been around in one form or another since the time of the first slayer. They will probably be around for a long time to come as well. They can serve as a long time ally for you. In addition to them, I think you should consider making a stronger alliance with Angel and his group as well."  
  
Buffy looked down thoughtfully.  
  
"Not the poufer!" Spike said.  
  
"I know you don't like the idea, but I spoke to Angel just after the first of the year. I think you'll find that things have moved on a bit for him. I very much doubt that he'll be judgmental of your relationship, if that's what you're worried about."  
  
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I'll let him tell you," Giles said. "Just suffice it to say that this has been an interesting year for him too. And since one of his closest operatives may also have become long-lived, it would be advantageous for you to form an alliance. Maintaining one with the Shadows would also be a good idea. They're a long lived species and might be of some help to you in the future. In short, I'm telling you to do a bit of long range planning. Which in your case, could be very long indeed."  
  
Buffy looked to Spike. He tightened his grip on her left hand and she added her right one to the mix. What was it the Desert Guide had said to her? The journey through eternity can be very lonely? Well, at least she seemed to have one long term partner. Giles was right to prod her about the rest. "All right," Buffy said. "As soon as this Imbolc thing is over, I'll talk to Angel and the Council of Watchers."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Dawn and Zachary were sitting outside on the back porch of Buffy's house. She was sitting on the next lowest step, leaning back against him. He had his arms around her. The sky was full of stars and the air was warmer than it had been. But they didn't seem to notice the romance of the night. Their minds were centered on other things.  
  
"You sure you want to go through with this?" Dawn asked. She didn't have to say what "this" was. He knew. It was the Imbolc battle.  
  
"I'm sure," Zachary said. "If you go, I go. Besides, I don't think Spike would let me back out now. He's put too much time in on me."  
  
Dawn smiled. "Yeah. He does seem to think you're his own private creation. I just want you to know that I think what you're doing is incredibly brave."  
  
"No more than for you."  
  
"It's different with me. Slaying's almost the family business. I couldn't avoid it if I wanted to. Sometimes Buffy thinks she can protect me from it. But she can't. Sooner or later some big monster comes crashing in the door looking for the Slayer and there I am involved. Anyway, how can I not get involved? Her being the slayer brought me into being in the first place. Don't forget I'm not really even real."  
  
He nuzzled her neck, enjoying the warmth of her soft long hair. "You feel real to me."  
  
Dawn giggled. "You know what I mean."  
  
"Well, whatever you started out as, you're real now. You may not live a normal life, but then who in SunnyD does?"  
  
"Your family is pretty normal."  
  
"I guess. But when that dancing demon guy came to town, they still sang and danced like everyone else. There was a male chorus in my dad's hardware shop singing the praises of duct tape. And the people in my mom's office did some kind of tap number."  
  
Dawn laughed out loud and cuddled closer to him.  
  
"But now they act like none of it ever happened. SunnyD-nial. That's what I call it."  
  
"I like that. SunnyD-nial."  
  
"So, I figure you and your sister are just being more realistic than the rest of the town."  
  
"I love you, Zachary. You know that?" Dawn asked, looking up.  
  
Zachary's breath caught for a moment and his heart beat so loud he was surprised it didn't echo across the lawn. "I love you too," he whispered. And then he kissed her.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Anya was still a little worried that D'Hoffryn might be watching her. With only one night to go, she thought they shouldn't take any chances. So she and Xander decided to spend the night in a motel. It was rather fun really. They had dinner in their room and then made love leisurely in the king sized bed.  
  
As they burrowed together under the covers afterwards Xander said, "I'm coming home tomorrow night after the battle. This is absolutely the last time we go sneaking around.  
  
"I agree," Anya sighed, running her finger down his chest. She found his ticklish spot and teased it a little. "The bed in our apartment has been entirely too lonely. And I've already granted Dawn a small wish that can be reversed without trouble when we smash my amulet."  
  
"So . . . are you excited about tomorrow?"  
  
"Excited?" Anya considered the word. "I guess I am. Are you?"  
  
"Me? No. It's just another job. Go in, fight the bad guys, save the world. You know. Just an ordinary night."  
  
"It's pretty much the same for me."  
  
"Not quite. Without you, we couldn't get inside the warehouse from above ground. We'd have to go it slow from underneath and might not even make it in time. You're of major importance."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am," she said with a contented smile. "I like that part. I like being more to the group than just your girlfriend."  
  
"You know, I'm very proud of you?"  
  
Anya sat us so she could see Xander's face. "Really?"  
  
He squeezed her hand. "Really. You know, I haven't even seen you in your demon face yet."  
  
"No, I guess you haven't. I've really only worn it around Tara and the Shadows . . . And Giles of course. He's the one who's taken me to the meetings with the Shadows."  
  
"You wouldn't mind showing it to me. I mean, I want to be able to pick you out of the crowd tomorrow."  
  
She looked mildly worried. "You're sure? I mean, I know you weren't real happy in the beginning about my doing this."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"OK, then. If you're sure." Anya concentrated and shifted out of her human face into her demon one. She did it slowly so as not to shock Xander too much.  
  
Xander looked at her carefully, considering each veiny inch of the unfamiliar face. "You know, I think you look just as good this way."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Absolutely." He put his hand to her cheek gently. "I love you, no matter what face you have on. And like I said, I'm really proud of what you're doing . . . Even if it made me feel out of control . . . And even if I had to move out for a while and spend the better part of my evenings watching television with Spike. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."  
  
Anya's demon eyes were getting watery. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me too. I waited a thousand years to find someone like you."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Doc placed his hands on Willow's head. It was their final session and he considered it a mere formality. He was convinced that she believed everything he'd been telling her. That the counter spell they'd done to cancel out Buffy's resurrection was only the first part of the whole spell, done to prepare Buffy for her return to heaven. "Tomorrow night," he whispered hypnotically in her ear, "we will open the portal to guarantee Tara's return to life and Buffy's return to heaven. This will turn back time and set everything to where it should be. Can you imagine how happy Tara will be to see you?"  
  
The real Tara of course was standing by in her invisible format. She had no eyes to roll at that moment, but if she had . . .  
  
"And think how glad Buffy will be to go back to heaven. You will be the bearer of so much happiness, my dear. It will be wonderful."  
  
"Happiness," Willow repeated. Her mind kept quiet as Doc talked, with hardly a personal thought at all. He took it as a sign of her acquiescence.  
  
"We will bring you up to the Imbolc festival just before midnight," Doc continued, "where you alone will enter the pentagram. The members of your coven will gather around you. The rest of us will light the ceremonial fires to welcome back the sun. Before you know it, Tara will be back with you again. You won't have to wait much longer, my dear. Hardly any time at all."  
  
When their session was complete, Doc left Willow's magical enclosure confident of his success. Rack was waiting just outside to talk over some last minute things.  
  
"Is everything ready?" Doc asked.  
  
"Yes," Rack answered. "I've told everybody but a few guards upstairs to get extra rest tonight since tomorrow there will be no sleep for anyone."  
  
"Good, good."  
  
At that point, Ledic came from the opposite end of the tunnel corridor. He knew approximately how long Doc's session would last and he'd been waiting around the bend till he heard their voices advancing toward him. He gave Rack and Doc a respectful nod as he passed, but they didn't even notice him. He was a lackey, after all. No more worthy of notice than a crack in the wall. Rack saw the Fire demons as ugly but useful animals, nothing more. Doc saw them in a similar light. The only tolerable thing about them as far as he was concerned was their faint relation to the lizard family. They thought so little of his race's intelligence that they didn't even wonder why Ledic was there at an hour when most of the other Fire demons were resting. They didn't even consider him capable of deceit. To them, he and the other Fire demons were just children that could be promised and punished into working for them. Of course this kind of thinking made Ledic's job much easier.  
  
As soon as Doc and the warlock were well out of sight, Ledic gestured toward Willow's enclosure. He couldn't see Tara, but he was pretty sure she was there. She always tried to be present during Doc's sessions.  
  
Tara appeared at Ledic's signal and returned the wave. Then Ledic went back around the bend in the tunnel to keep watch and give Tara and Willow some privacy.  
  
Tara went to solid form and slipped her arms around Willow. "Don't listen to him," she whispered in Willow's ear. "You already have me back. I'm here with you right now. And I'm never going to leave you again. That other voice you hear is lying to you, Honey. Don't listen to him. Tomorrow we're going to free you from all this. And then we'll be back together in our own bed."  
  
Tara kissed her lover gently and stroked her cheek. Willow's eyes were closed because she was still in a trance state, but her eyelids fluttered at Tara's touch. For some reason Tara started humming to Willow. It was an old lullaby that she remembered her mother singing to her when she was very little. She couldn't recall the words anymore, only the melody. Still, she hoped it would reach Willow and bring her comfort.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy and Spike were patrolling through the cemetery. Buffy was very much into it. She had a stake in hand and was peering left and right behind every bush and tombstone. Spike dragged behind glumly. This wasn't the evening he'd planned. Buffy had said she needed to work off some excess energy. He understood because it was the night before the big battle and all. But he had his own ideas about how to work it off. Still, she had insisted this was the best way to do it. So far, they'd dusted two fledgling vamps and rescued a couple who were making out in the grass near the entrance from some kind of feathered demon Spike had never seen before.  
  
"Slayer, isn't that enough?" Spike whined. Buffy was dusting a third vamp that she'd flushed out from behind a cluster of trees. "There's going to be plenty of demon slaughtering tomorrow night."  
  
"Not done yet," she said, not bothering to look at him. "We should make one more round."  
  
"Slayer! Why are you doing this? You upset about what the old Watcher said?"  
  
Buffy stopped. As usual Spike had put his finger on the issue. But it wasn't exactly what he thought. She wasn't acting out in denial this time. "Maybe that's part of it," she admitted. "I didn't like thinking or talking about all that. But, I know he's right. I'm going to do what he said. I'm just working out my emotions about it in the best way I know how."  
  
Spike put his hands on his hips. "Fine. Well, I don't see any other demons. I think that's all we're gonna get tonight. So, I'm going home and leaving you to work things out." And with that, he turned and started away.  
  
Buffy frowned for a moment. Then she ran after him, leaping into the air at his back and yelling, "Hey-ya!"  
  
The force of her weight knocked them both to the ground. They rolled over several times till they came to a stop with Buffy on top. "Since you're the only demon around here right now, guess I'll have to settle for pummeling you," she said, sitting up.  
  
"Now that's more like what I had in mind," he said easing his hands under her leather jacket.  
  
Buffy responded by rolling them over again and tossing him at the foot of a tree. The fight was on. They tussled for some time, their sparring becoming more and more impassioned. Finally they retired to his crypt to complete their dance. Their lovemaking was intense and eager. A marathon of touching and kissing and rubbing. Their clothes went every which way and their exclamations were unfettered by the presence of little sisters and middle-aged watchers. It was a bit like old times actually, a marathon session that began in the upper area of the crypt and ended in the bed below. Spike wondered if this was really what Buffy had been planning all along, a shagging trip down memory lane.  
  
Afterwards, as they lay in bed together listening to the sounds of the night Spike said, "All we need now is for it to rain."  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Don't you remember? It was the night you lost that bloody job. We wrestled outside like tonight. Then we came in when it started raining. I fell asleep with my arm around you. I expected you to be gone when I awoke. Only you weren't. You fell asleep too. Your staying there that extra time sleeping told me I had a chance. Ever since then, I've loved the sound of rain."  
  
"Now that sounds like William the poet talking."  
  
Spike laughed. "The wanker had one or two good ideas. Romance and poetry have their place."  
  
"Mmm," Buffy answered, burying her face in his chest and preparing for a nap. "So does a good sparring session with a demon."  
  
Since they were both relaxed and content, Spike thought it was a good time to bring up the subject that had occurred to him during their private meeting with Giles. "Buffy . . . why didn't you tell Giles that you chose to come back?"  
  
"Hmm?" she asked sleepily. "Because I didn't."  
  
"But the Guide in the desert told you you did."  
  
"Don't remember it. Didn't happen," she sighed sleepily.  
  
"If it did, though, it would take away some of the guilt your friends have been feeling. Or do you like having this kind of power over them? . . . Buffy?" Spike touched her hair and she muttered something incomprehensible. "All right," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "You sleep. But it's really something you should suss out."  
  
As she drifted off to sleep, Buffy heard his words. She just didn't feel like answering out loud. So, she answered them in her head. "Don't remember it. Didn't happen," her mind repeated. That's what she believed too.  
  
Spike hadn't heard her thoughts, but he answered them all the same. "Bet you don't remember your birth either," he said under his breath. "But it bloody well happened all the same."  
  
"I remember heaven," her sleepy mind answered back as it slipped away into a foggy dream. "I remember heaven . . ." Once again she could feel the warmth and safety of it there. Rest was hers, to enjoy forever. Time meant nothing and the world and everyone she had loved would go on without her. It was pure bliss. Then one day it ended. Willow's spell ruthlessly ripped her away from that place of rest and peace. She tried to fight against the pull, but couldn't. She screamed of course, but her screams went unheard. Then, just as suddenly as it started, the pulling stopped. Buffy found herself standing in some gray place that was neither here nor there in time.  
  
She heard a cry above her and looked up to see the eagle that had led her to the Guide in the desert. He flew in the endless expanse of gray over her and landed at her side. "I remember everything up to this part," she told the eagle. "What happened after?"  
  
The eagle stretched out its great brown wings. And she remembered. After the pulling stopped, she'd heard a cacophony of sounds. They were the cries of the others who were still alive in the world. She heard Willow mourning her and trying to bring her back, willing to risk her own soul if necessary. She heard Spike's heartbreak and felt his tears as he blamed himself for her death and aimlessly counted the endless days without her. She could feel Dawn trembling with fear and loneliness as she lay next to the bot, trying to draw comfort from its cold exterior. She heard Xander push aside his doubts about the resurrection spell, because he wanted her back so badly. She could feel Anya and Tara's sadness at her parting. And the unspeakable pain that Giles felt at the loss of his almost daughter. She'd thought they were all fine without her. But she was wrong.  
  
The eagle shook its wings again. And she remembered the next part. After hearing and feeling all that her friends were going through, she made a decision. The magic that had been forcing her toward life had stopped because the spell had been interrupted. It left her in the gray dividing line between dimensions. She had a choice. She could go on toward life again. Or she could return to that heaven-like place. It didn't take her long to decide. She didn't ask what the consequences were, though she sensed there would be some. She didn't know she would be immortal. She only knew she had to return. So she pushed herself forward. It wasn't easy. The atmosphere around her became heavier the further she went. Her soul felt pain as she passed through the barrier between dimensions. And her mind became stunned and confused as her spiritual essence refilled her body. She gasped for air and scratched away at her coffin to get out. It had been a birth of sorts. And as with most births, her memories of it had been incomplete. Now she remembered all of it.  
  
She heard the call of the eagle as it departed. And as she pushed herself out of the coffin and back into life.  
  
The dream over, she sat up suddenly in bed. She was still in the lower level of the crypt.  
  
Spike had been sleeping as well, but the suddenness of her moves woke him up. "What is it? What's the matter?" he asked, throwing his arms around her.  
  
"The eagle . . ." Buffy said. "He came back . . . to do more healing." 


	65. Chapter - Sixty-Five - Through the Fire

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE  
  
Through the Fire  
  
  
  
"You're going to tell them, right?" Spike asked.  
  
"Yes. For the trillionth time, yes," Buffy said, pulling her black leather jacket out of the closet.  
  
They were up in their room getting ready to go to the warehouse. The Scoobies, including Tara, were supposed to meet at Buffy's house at eleven o'clock because Ledic had told them that the Imbolc celebration would begin officially at midnight. They didn't want to get there any earlier because they didn't want to be seen. Their demon compatriots would be waiting for them downtown.  
  
Spike had been nagging Buffy all day to tell everyone the truth about her resurrection choice. She'd said yes, but he was afraid she would renege.  
  
"I'll tell them right after the battle," Buffy said. She looked in the mirror and patted her hair. At least in the mirror she didn't have to see him as he ground away at her.  
  
"No," Spike said. "You'll tell them before we leave."  
  
"What? We don't have enough to worry about tonight? We have to do true confessions too? . . . It can wait."  
  
Buffy started toward the door, but Spike used his vampire speed to block her way.  
  
"No," he said. "The eagle appeared in your dream last night for a reason. You know as well as I do that there's no way of being certain what's going to happen tonight. Some of us may not come back. You shouldn't leave anything unsaid."  
  
"I wanted to put it off till I got used to the idea myself."  
  
"Sometimes you don't get that luxury, Slayer."  
  
"Oh, all right," she said, her shoulders sagging. "If I must."  
  
"That's a good little Slayer," Spike said, opening the door. He gestured grandly. "After you."  
  
Spike let the subject drop until everyone was assembled. At that point, Giles felt he had a few words to say. As far as Spike was concerned, none of it was important. It was just a repeat of what he'd said before. The order of the plan, where everybody was going to be . . . That sort of rot. When Giles was finished Spike looked at his other half to see if she'd say anything. She didn't. "Buffy . . ." he urged.  
  
"It's eleven o'clock," Tara said. "We'd better be going."  
  
"Right," Buffy agreed. "It's late, let's go."  
  
Everyone headed for the door, but once again Spike used his vampire speed to get there first. "No!" he said, leaning against the door, looking quite impertinent. "Nobody's going anywhere yet. Buffy has something to say."  
  
"Spike," Tara said. "The time."  
  
"I know. It won't take long if the she speaks up quickly."  
  
Buffy looked down, hesitating.  
  
"Better get on with it, Slayer. I'm not moving till you do. I took the blame for the last two things you kept back on. Remember? I'm not doing it this time."  
  
"What is it, Buffy?" Giles asked.  
  
Buffy pulled away from the others. "There was something more the Guide in the desert told me," she said slowly. "I didn't believe her because I didn't remember it. But then . . . I had this dream last night and everything came back to me. When Willow did the resurrection spell, I was pulled from Heaven like I said. But that wasn't the whole story. When the spell was interrupted, I found myself standing in this in-between area. Sort of a dividing line between worlds. I heard how much all of you needed me. And I realized I had a choice. I could continue on toward life or turn back to Heaven. I decided to come here. But the passing through dimensions was painful and left me confused, so I couldn't remember all of it till now. I didn't know I was going to come back immortal, but I did choose to come back."  
  
"That explains why you weren't resurrected right away," Tara said. "We expected you to cross over sooner. But you didn't. Xander had to drag Willow away to keep her from being hurt by those biker demons. That must have been when you were making up your mind."  
  
"Then . . . then you wanted to come back to us?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Dawn threw herself around her sister so hard it almost knocked her over. "Then you don't want to leave us again!" That was the thing she'd been most worried about.  
  
"No," Buffy said, hugging her sister, "I don't want to leave you. You're stuck with me."  
  
"And I guess you aren't quite as angry about us trying to bring you back?" Xander said.  
  
"Except maybe a little about that immortality thing," Anya said.  
  
It looked like Giles wanted to say something too, but Spike cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth. They didn't have time for yet another measured Giles speech. "Right!" Spike said. "Let's go kick some butt." And he opened the door and pushed Zachary out ahead of him.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy and Spike rode down to the tunnel entrance on their motorcycle. Xander came just behind them in his car with everyone else.  
  
"Be careful," Xander said, as he kissed Anya goodbye and turned the driver's seat over to Giles.  
  
"YOU be careful," Anya returned. "In my present state I'm pretty hard to kill."  
  
Masichuvio and a sizeable group of his people were already waiting inside the tunnels. As before, they carried no weapons because it was impossible to hold onto anything when they dematerialized. Buffy, Spike, and Xander were all carrying crossbows in hand, with short swords strapped at their waists.  
  
"Mas!" Buffy said, by way of greeting.  
  
"Slayer," Masichuvio said, with a respectful bow.  
  
Tara appeared in their midst. "I've checked the tunnels. They're clear. Now I'm going to make sure the area around Masichuvio's building is clear too so the coven group will be safe." And with that, she faded into mist.  
  
"Let's go then," Buffy said, turning on the flashlight that she had strapped to her belt along with the sword. "We'll lead because we've got the weapons."  
  
"As you say," Masichuvio agreed.  
  
Buffy led the way with Spike at her left in their usual battle position. Xander came slightly behind, followed by the Shadows.  
  
"You know," Spike whispered, "one of these days you should really learn how to say his name."  
  
"Whose?"  
  
"Masichuvio's."  
  
"I will," Buffy said. "One of these days."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Giles and Anya parked in the alley next to Masichuvio's building. The rest of the coven and the larger battalion of Shadows were waiting on the first floor. Tara had told them that just before midnight the Fire demons would be "clearing the street" in front of the warehouse so they wouldn't have to worry about the human authorities interfering. There was still one police car and one fire truck keeping watch. Each had two uniformed men in attendance. Doc was afraid that once the activities started in the warehouse, the authorities would feel obligated to take action. He knew a show of force would frighten them into their famous state of denial.  
  
At ten minutes before the hour, the fire ring around the warehouse was lowered and several Fire demons stepped through. The men on duty were completely caught off guard. Four of the demons aimed fire jets at them, injuring two of them very badly. The rest of the demons shot at the gas tanks of the men's vehicles, causing them to explode into flames.  
  
Their work done, the demons stepped back through the fire circle to stand guard outside the front doors of the warehouse. Immediately the flames rose up behind them, going higher this time, till they roared well above the warehouse. It was a warning to everyone within sight to stay back.  
  
Giles watched the fire rise up from a broken window in Masichuvio's building and he knew it was almost time.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
As the fire circle mounted into the sky, the inside of the dimly lit warehouse was filled with the flickering tongues of light reflecting through the frosted windows. When the midnight hour struck, various minions of Doc's and Rack's lit the candles and torches that covered the high ceilinged hall. As they worked, they chanted:  
  
"Imbolc na san narrah,  
  
Limna tolma esan na,  
  
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,  
  
Tolma Ra tudebah."  
  
It was a simple welcome to Imbolc and the sun. And a promise to forever serve the fire.  
  
There were Fire demons standing quietly in front of each of the banners. Their orders were to keep watch and stay out of the way. They had not been invited to join the celebration or help in its magical conclusion.  
  
Doc led Willow up from her basement enclosure. Her eyes were open now for the purpose of walking, but she was still under Doc's control. Fanning out around them were five witches carrying the crystals that gave Doc power over Willow's mind. Rack and Amy walked just behind them carrying lit orange candles. They in turn were followed by the main members of Rack's coven, most of whom were human.  
  
Everyone was chanting now, except for the Fire demons.  
  
"Imbolc na san narrah,  
  
Limna tolma esan na,  
  
Reh nom Ra tanarrah,  
  
Tolma Ra tudebah."  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Buffy and her crew meanwhile had completed their journey through the tunnels and had reached the ladder that led up into the warehouse basement. Swimmer, the Nazari who lived in the tunnels, met them at the spot where the entrance to the warehouse was magically concealed.  
  
"Here it is," he announced helpfully. "This is the way in. I didn't want you to have to look for it."  
  
"Thank you," Buffy said.  
  
"Now I will go and keep watch at the front of the tunnels to make sure you aren't surprised from behind," Swimmer said. And he splashed away.  
  
Ledic was on the basement level of the warehouse with a contingency of guards. No one had been posted in the tunnels below because Doc didn't want to scatter his forces. He doubted there would be an attack from the tunnels since he thought he'd gotten rid of Buffy and the Scoobies. And he didn't think the Shadows would attack on their own.  
  
Ledic had told Tara that when the battle began, the downstairs guards would probably go upstairs. In which case, he would unlock the tunnel door. If the guards didn't go up, Ledic promised to signal Buffy by kicking at the door. Then the Shadows would float through the floor, fight the guards, and unlock the door for Buffy, Spike, and Xander.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Tara appeared to Giles's group at Masichuvio's building. "They're bringing Willow up now," she said.  
  
"Then it's time for us to go," Giles said. "We need to assemble the coven and move the Shadow battalion into place.  
  
He led the group out into the street, but they could not go very far. The massive flames in the circle of fire gave off a lot of heat. The magical barrier was on the inside of the circle so that it protected the warehouse and radiated the heat outward.  
  
"We can't get that close," Giles said.  
  
"Then we will begin our circle right here in the street," Anya said confidently. "I've seen lots worse fires than this. And we have the means to destroy it." She changed into her demon face and sat down. From out of her robes she pulled the Diamond of Gunab. "Let's begin," she said.  
  
Without questioning, Anya's demon coven sat down in a circle around her. Ohanzee and the other Shadows sat expressionless, their backs straight. Speaker, the Nazari, leaned forward eagerly and watched Anya carefully. It was his big chance to be a hero and he didn't want to make any mistakes.  
  
Anya held the diamond in her hands and began to chant. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."  
  
The rest of the coven repeated the chant as they raised their hands to the center towards Anya. "Plettenia Gunab. Plettenia et triumphe serrenta Gunab."  
  
The chant, invoked the diamond's power. It was Anya's will that would steer it. As they chanted, a blue light flowed out of the diamond and filled the area of the circle above and around the coven.  
  
Giles stood just behind them, a crossbow and a book of alternate spells at the ready. Zachary and Dawn were off a bit by themselves, holding hands and gazing up at the gigantic wall of flames.  
  
"It's big, isn't it?" was all that Zachary could say.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Doc placed Willow in the center of the pentagram that had been painted on the warehouse floor. The crystals that had kept her in control all this time were set into the points of the star next to the flaming orange crystals that controlled the outside barrier. Doc stood at the top of the star and began speaking the words of the spell that would open the Hell portal. It was basically an ode to Glorificus. He praised her for all the evil she'd done and the power that she possessed. Then he capped it off by praising a list of other Hell gods as well. He offered them the souls of all that were present and the lives of all those within the dimension. The rest of Rack's coven raised their arms to Willow, adding their power to hers and making her their center. In answer to their spell, a yellow light sprang forth at the foot of the pentagram. It glowed brighter and brighter, gradually turning orange and then red. The outline of a door appeared. It was edged with yellow and white light. As it began to open, screams could be heard from the other side.  
  
"Hurry, hurry," Tara whispered to herself as she stood invisibly at her lover's right hand.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Outside, the blue light emanating from the Diamond of Gunab was growing stronger and brighter. It branched out and up toward the circle of fire. Then it separated into fingers which grasped the ring and engulfed it in a blue highlight. When the Fire demons guarding the outside of the warehouse saw it they started talking excitedly amongst themselves, wondering what to do.  
  
Anya's coven continued chanting and the blue light expanded on. It next reached for the warehouse itself, pouring out over it and then sinking in through the roof.  
  
Once inside, the blue light trickled down the walls and flowed over everyone but Willow. As she had promised, Anya had excluded Willow from the power drain. But no one except Tara noticed. They were much too busy worrying about themselves, for everyone knew they were in the midst of some kind of big magic. The chanting of Doc's minions stopped as they watched the advancing blue light. The door opening to the Hell dimension stopped as well because everyone had lost their focus.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The first hint of the blue light's power came as the ring of fire outside became lower and then disappeared completely. It left the area in front of the warehouse in darkness, except for the flickering lights that shone from inside. The Fire demons readied themselves. They had a pretty good idea of what was going on. They had faced this blue light before in battle. It had shorn them of their new ability to throw fire jets. They knew that somehow the Slayer and the Shadows had found a way to increase that power, which before had been so localized. They looked out across the parking lot expecting to see their enemies shortly. It was time to fight.  
  
The Shadows knew this as well. They stepped away from Anya's coven to meet their ancient foe. At least now they would fight as they were meant to fight. The Fire demons would aim their fireballs at them as they had always done and the Shadows would disassemble to avoid them. Eventually there would be hand to hand combat between the two sets of demons.  
  
Dawn and Zachary loaded their crossbows and prepared themselves as the Shadows surged forward and a struggle ensued. Zachary thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest when he saw the Fire demons shoot fireballs.  
  
The plan was that the Shadows would try and fade through the door quickly, thus beginning the fight inside the warehouse. But the Fire demons were putting up a stronger battle than expected.  
  
"We'd better help," Giles said to his young charges. "If they take too long to get inside the demon members of Doc's group might be able to start an offensive. Follow me." He marched toward the parking lot and aimed his crossbow. He managed to catch one Fire demon in the leg. "Shoot!" he ordered.  
  
Dawn did as she was told, but her first arrow went astray. Zachary hesitated for a moment, but then he adjusted his tough guy persona as Spike had taught him and shot. He got a Fire demon in the shoulder. A few more shots and several Shadows were free to evaporate inside the warehouse. The injured Fire demons left the battle and took off into the night. They felt, if Doc could not protect them, then they were better off leaving the battle behind.  
  
The arrows kept coming and the Shadows were easily able to open the warehouse doors. They had never been properly repaired since the day Buffy and Spike had knocked them down. Doc had been relying on the magic barrier to keep out his enemies. Once the doors were down, complete confusion erupted inside. Giles and his archers moved in closer to give what help they could to the Shadows. But they didn't go in because Giles wanted to keep the teenagers out of danger if at all possible.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
In the basement, the Fire demon guards heard the commotion. Without a second's thought, all but Ledic ran up the stairs. As soon as he was alone, he unlocked the door down to the tunnels and ushered in Buffy and her crew. The Shadows didn't wait. As soon as they knew the basement was clear, they started floating up through the floors to join their people in combat.  
  
When the second battalion of Shadows arrived, Doc moved into the fight with several of his demon minions. He too understood the meaning of the blue light. He knew his human allies were now useless to him. In fact, he saw Rack cowering behind a banner. He should have known. The warlock was nothing more than a drug pusher, no matter what he pretended to be. Doc knew he should never have involved him in such an important undertaking. What to do, he wondered. What could be salvaged? With no other plan immediately in mind, he fought back two of the Shadow warriors with a ceremonial sword that he'd been carrying.  
  
In the confusion, Tara appeared at Willow's side and took on solid form. The first thing she did was to smash all the crystals in the arms of the pentagram. That caused Willow to fall to the floor. Tara ran to her and pulled her into her lap. "Willow!" she said, shaking her. "You've got to wake up. We need your help!" Tara had noticed that they'd lowered her magic high because they wanted her powers to run freely during the celebration. So there was a good chance that she would come to herself quickly. "Willow, listen to me. It's Tara. Can you hear me?"  
  
Doc didn't notice Tara with Willow. After he'd dispatched the two Shadows that he'd been fighting, he saw Buffy. She had lost her crossbow and had started using her sword. Most of the Fire demons were too busy to send off fireballs anymore. That required them to stand still for a moment and their opponents weren't giving them time for that. Most of the humans in the warehouse were running for it, leaving the battle entirely to their demon allies. And those numbers were dwindling as well because Ledic was running about trying to talk various members of his people into running off and leaving Doc to his own battle.  
  
"So, you're alive," Doc said, pushing aside the Fire demon that Buffy had been fighting.  
  
"Haven't you heard? I'm immortal now, it's hard to kill me."  
  
Doc didn't usually show anger. But seeing the swaggering slayer once again interfere with his plans infuriated him beyond all measure. Without another word, he raised his sword to engage her in battle. She was now very difficult to kill, just as he was. But he thought if he could get in close enough, then maybe he could take off her head.  
  
Xander and Spike were working in tandem close to the stairwell where they had come up. They had also switched to swords and had just fought off a pair of toothy demons that had been customers of Rack's.  
  
"Hey look. Lizard boy is over there," Xander said, meaning Doc.  
  
"Considering what bad a job we did at getting rid of him last time," Spike said, "maybe we should have another go."  
  
"After you," Xander said.  
  
"No, after you," Spike said, punching a Fire demon who was coming at him. Swords were OK. But Spike preferred flesh on flesh.  
  
By this time Tara had managed to rouse Willow. She was sitting up. In the mêlée no one was paying any attention to them. "Willow. Willow, you've got to talk to me. Say my name."  
  
Willow opened her eyes, but had trouble focusing. "Tara?" she said uncertainly.  
  
"Yes, it's me."  
  
"We brought you back."  
  
"No," Tara said. "YOU brought me back. Only I should have told you sooner. It was that spell that you cast before my funeral."  
  
"Did we send Buffy back to Heaven yet?"  
  
"What? No, she's still here. She's all right."  
  
"I've got to send her back to Heaven so she'll be happy," Willow said, struggling to her feet.  
  
"No, she's happy here."  
  
But Willow pushed Tara aside and stood up. Her powers were at full force, her eyes black. She searched the crowd and saw Buffy fighting with Doc.  
  
Doc had just about given up on killing Buffy. He kept aiming his sword for her neck, but she stopped him short every time. She was much too strong for him. When he saw Xander and Spike coming, he knew it was time to move away. One sword piercing he could take, but if the three of them should pierce him together they might really kill him. So he flipped up into the air to gain some distance. When he came down, he landed close to the pentagram and for the first time he saw Tara.  
  
"You're back as well?" Doc asked. "Doesn't anybody stay dead around here?" And with that, he started toward her.  
  
"Willow!" Tara said, putting her arms around her lover. "Put up a barrier. So we won't be hurt with all the fighting going on."  
  
Willow was only partly aware of the continued skirmish. She was concentrating most of her attention on Buffy, remembering that she was supposed to send her back to Heaven so she would be happy. But she did as Tara said, waving her right hand without ever taking her eyes off Buffy.  
  
Doc saw the black in Willow's eyes and felt the power shoot out from her as she commanded the magical barrier into being. He knew he could never equal Willow's power. His magic was centered in old spells and special potions. Things that needed time. The only weapon he had was the mind control that he had exercised over Willow recently. The crystals were gone, but Willow was not yet herself. She was still open to suggestion. "Willow?" Doc called on the other side of the barrier. "Just as I promised, you've got Tara back. Now you need to complete the rest of the spell we were planning. You need to open the portal so that Buffy can go back to Heaven."  
  
"Yes," Willow said. She recognized his voice and believed he spoke the truth. It was the right thing to do. Return Buffy to Heaven. She'd never wanted to come back. It was only right to undo the resurrection spell. And this was the last part of it. Willow turned to the portal door. Screams could still be heard on the other side. The power that she'd been getting from the rest of Rack's coven was gone. But she knew she could open the door by herself, just not as widely as they'd planned. She reached her hands out and the door started to struggle open again.  
  
"No!" Tara yelled. "Stop!"  
  
Willow heard her beloved's voice and hesitated. "But I have to," she said. "It's the only way for Buffy to be happy."  
  
Buffy came up to the edge of the magical barrier. Xander and Spike tried to follow, but they got caught up fighting demons again.  
  
"But I am happy," Buffy said to her friend.  
  
"No, you're not," Willow answered. "You've just been acting happy for my sake. And you're just with Spike because you're lonely for Heaven."  
  
"That's what Doc told her," Tara said.  
  
"But I love Spike," Buffy said.  
  
"She's just saying that," Doc said. "She doesn't want you to go to any trouble or feel bad about what happened. But you know what you have to do. It's the only way for Buffy to be really happy."  
  
"Yes," Willow agreed. And she reached her hands out toward the portal once again. "I was wrong to bring Buffy back against her will."  
  
"But you didn't," Tara said. "OK. Two can play at this game." Tara put her hands up on either side of Willow's head the way Doc had done so many times before. Only in this case Tara wasn't looking to wipe away her lover's free will. She was instead connecting the two of them together, one mind to the other, so that Willow knew everything that Tara did.  
  
Willow closed her eyes as she sped through the pictures and words that flashed from Tara's mind to hers. She witnessed Tara's murder at Doc's hands. And watched how Rack and Doc had taken over her mind for their own purposes. She heard Tara's words to her while she'd been kept as a prisoner in the warehouse basement, with Ledic standing protectively by. Lastly, she heard Buffy's confession to the Scoobies before they'd come to the warehouse that evening. Willow's eyes flashed open. "You wanted to come back," Willow said to Buffy.  
  
"Yes," Buffy said softly.  
  
"I didn't hurt you. I mean . . . I did. But you wanted to come back."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"I know, Will. It's all right."  
  
"And you!" Willow said, turning toward Doc. "You killed Tara!"  
  
Doc backed up. He knew his power over her had been broken. He tried to run, but Willow raised her hand and caught him in a pulse of energy. He felt as if strong fingers were holding him in place, crushing him. Slowly Willow raised her hand and Doc levitated into the air.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw Rack moving toward the door with Amy. "And you!" she cried. She raised her other hand and Rack was dragged across the floor toward her.  
  
"Willow!" Tara said. "Don't!" These two men deserved punishment, but not at the price of Willow's soul. Once she turned herself to hatred and vengeance it would be hard to turn back.  
  
When Doc and Rack's followers saw what was happening, they headed for the door. Their leaders had been captured, their cause was destroyed. It was time to go. Ledic had gathered a large group of Fire demons and was now leading them down toward the tunnels and away.  
  
Willow hauled Rack to the pentagram. Then she gazed at Doc dangling above her. She wanted them to suffer, to scatter their atoms across the world as they'd planned to do with Buffy. The hate within her was hot and yearning for blood. She was ready to destroy everyone who had worked with them.  
  
"Don't," Tara begged. She put her arms around Willow. "Please, don't. For your sake."  
  
Willow hesitated, tears collecting in her eyes. "All right," she said. "You wanted this portal open? Then it's only fair that you get to go in and enjoy it." Willow fastened her attention on the portal again, opening it till it was just wide enough. Then she yanked Rack towards it. He begged, he pleaded. But it didn't matter. Willow waved her hand and pushed him inside, where his screams grew louder still. "Next!" she said. And she threw Doc inside as well. There were no screams from him. He was too proud a creature for that. But he knew that once inside he would have a lot of explaining to do. The Hell gods were not kind to those who failed them. "Say hello to Glory for me!" Willow called after them. And she pulled the portal closed again. "That's it!" she declared with another wave of her hand. "Imbolc is over." And with that, she magically extinguished all the torches and candles in the warehouse. All that was left was the blue light of the Diamond of Gunab.  
  
"Wow!" Zachary said, as he stood at the doorway with Dawn.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The few Fire demons that were left retreated quickly, leaving the Shadows as victors of the territory. The Shadow leaders stopped to give Buffy their thanks in their usual reserved manner.  
  
"Thank you," Buffy said, with a proper bow in return. "Thank you for all your help," she said to Ohanzee. "And I was honored to fight alongside you, Masichuvio."  
  
Masichuvio was touched that she had finally used his name. He bowed low and said, "If ever you need me, I am at your service."  
  
With everyone starting away, Tara knew she didn't have much time. "I'll meet you at home," she said to Willow. "In our room. Giles has been staying there. But I'm sure he'll give it up because Xander's going back to his place tonight."  
  
"What?" Willow said, clasping hold of Tara's hands. "Where are you going? You are coming back, aren't you?"  
  
"Of course," Tara said, with a smile. She kissed Willow gently and smoothed back her hair. "Always. I just want to say goodbye to someone."  
  
And she faded away. It was Ledic she wanted to see. She wanted to thank him for everything.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
The trip back uptown in Xander's car was jubilant. Willow sat in the front seat between Giles (who was driving) and Xander. Anya sat in the back seat just behind her fiancée, talking almost nonstop.  
  
"It was just so exhilarating!" Anya said. "To have all that power channeling through me. I was able to sense Willow's power separate from everyone else's right away. It pulsed so strongly."  
  
"Yes, you were brilliant, Sweetie," Xander said.  
  
"We certainly couldn't have done it without you," Giles agreed.  
  
"I'm glad my thousand years as a vengeance demon didn't go to waste," Anya said. "And everyone in my coven was just so wonderful! The Shadows never flinched, even when all the screaming started. And that little Nazari, Speaker . . . He looked very frightened when the Fire demons and the Shadows started fighting. But he kept on going. Afterwards, he was going around thanking everybody for letting him help."  
  
"Yeah," Xander said. "He kept bobbing up and down so much, I was afraid he was going to pass out."  
  
"He was very effusive," Giles said.  
  
"And what did you think of all of this?" Dawn asked her boyfriend. She was sitting curled up against him.  
  
"Yeah," Xander said looking back, "how did you feel when you saw all those demons coming at you shooting fireballs?"  
  
"Scared," Zachary admitted. "But then I imagined Spike in front of me in vamp face yelling, 'Come on you stupid git! Ya want 'em to think you're a bloody wanker?' And somehow I held on."  
  
"I knew Spike would be a good teacher," Giles said, "even despite his lack of tact."  
  
Buffy and the vamp in question were on the road behind Xander and the rest. They had to go through the tunnels under the warehouse to get back to the motorcycle. On the way, they ran into Swimmer. He popped out from one of the side tunnels in front of them, moving as silently as a fish through the seven inches of water.  
  
"We won?" Swimmer asked.  
  
"Yep," Buffy said. She had her crossbow slung across her right shoulder and her left hand was lost in Spike's. "We won."  
  
"Then my people will be coming back soon."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised," Buffy said. "Although there will probably be a lot of construction going on after everything calms down."  
  
"We don't care if it's busy up there," Swimmer said, pointing upwards with his grimy paw. "Humans don't come here . . . except for you, of course."  
  
"Of course," Buffy said, glancing at Spike.  
  
"This means my mate's family can come back and help her with the birth of our little one. Thank you, Slayer."  
  
"Same here," Buffy answered, as the little Nazari scampered away. "Thanks for watching our backs tonight."  
  
"It was an honor!" he called back. And he disappeared into one of the many tunnels.  
  
"It seems you've earned a lot of new friends," Spike said.  
  
"Yeah. It's always nice to have friends."  
  
It was Spike's turn to drive the motorcycle. Buffy clung sleepily to his back enjoying the feel of the rushing air. For the first time in a long time her little "family" was all safe and accounted for. She felt content.  
  
By the time they got home, Xander and Anya had collected Xander's things and gone. Both of them were glad to be spending the rest of the night in their own bed.  
  
Giles had given Willow back her room and was preparing to bunk down in the livingroom with Zachary. Giles had the couch and Zachary had his sleeping bag spread out across the floor in the area where the coffee table usually was.  
  
"So, I guess all my hostess work is done?" Buffy asked as she and Spike came in.  
  
"We're fine," Giles said. He was tucking the sheets that Willow had given him around the couch cushions.  
  
"Where is Willow?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Up in her room waiting for Tara, I believe."  
  
"I won't bother her then. I'll talk to her at breakfast." Or lunch . . . or however long they decide to sleep-in, she continued to herself. She remembered how she and Spike were after they'd been reunited. Willow and Tara were going to need some space, especially considering the changes that Tara had gone through.  
  
"You stopping for a snack, Slayer?" Spike asked.  
  
"Not tonight. I'm too tired," Buffy said. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."  
  
"Goodnight," Giles said.  
  
"Goodnight," Zachary called.  
  
"You did good tonight, Kid," Spike said, giving Zachary the thumbs up. "Good scowl."  
  
"Thanks, Coach," Zachary said. He was lying down in his sleeping bag without his glasses on. To him Spike was a blurry black clad figure with blond hair. Still, he could hear the smirk in his voice. He was obviously proud of Zachary. And somehow that felt good.  
  
Spiked followed Buffy upstairs and into their room, closing the door behind them. He watched as Buffy slipped out of her jacket and put it in the closet. Then she took the Diamond of Gunab out of her pocket and stuck it in the back of the closet in one of her shoes. Anya had returned it to her just after the battle.  
  
"Not sure what we're gonna do with the diamond yet," Buffy said. "Giles said the reason the curse hadn't popped up in awhile is because it was technically owned by an organization, a non-human entity. So humans only handled it in passing and couldn't really own it. We need to come up with a way of getting the diamond back into the ownership of the museum without arousing suspicion."  
  
Spike shrugged out of his duster and hung it on the back of the door. "Now that sounds like a good job for me, Luv. I can be right sneaky when I need to be."  
  
"Yes, well, that may come in handy in this case." Buffy turned around to look at her lover. "Spike . . . thank you."  
  
"For what, Luv?" He pulled her into his arms and nibbled on her neck.  
  
"For making me tell everyone about the eagle dream. I don't always like it when you push me. But I gotta admit that you're right sometimes. So . . . thank you."  
  
"There are other ways to thank me," he said, suggestively.  
  
- - - - - - - - - -  
  
Willow was in her room, still in shock. Her friends had been loving and understanding, but there was so much to take in. All she wanted was to see Tara again. She dressed for bed, but sat on the edge, not sure what to do next. She was beginning to panic. Maybe something had happened to Tara. The spell she'd used to bring her back was not irreversible. Maybe one of Rack's minions . . . But he hadn't had too many demon followers to begin with. And most of them had been killed or driven off during the battle. And Anya had said that the human witches and warlocks would be without their powers for some time because of the strength of the diamond's mirroring.  
  
Of course, Willow's fears were unfounded. While she was still worrying, Tara appeared next to her on the bed. First as a mist, then as a transparent figure, and finally as a solid figure in a shimmering green gown.  
  
"Tara!" Willow said, throwing her arms around her.  
  
"I'm sorry I took so long. I was looking for the Fire demon that helped us."  
  
"Did you find him?"  
  
"No. I really wish I had. He did a lot for us, for you and me especially."  
  
"I'm so glad to have you back again," Willow said, kissing her. "I thought I'd lost you forever."  
  
"I should have told you I was back. We might have avoided . . ."  
  
"I don't blame you," Willow said, petting Tara's hair, enjoying the feel of it in her hand. "I was out of control. I just hope you're not angry that I brought you back."  
  
"Oh, no. I wanted to come back. Besides. I kinda like what I've become. It has a lot of possibilities."  
  
Willow thought of the way Tara had just appeared. "It will take a little getting used to."  
  
"You think?" Tara said with a wicked smile. "This body can function just as my old one did. It's just a little cooler to the touch." Tara took Willow's hand and put it to her cheek. "And undressing is much easier. I just think about it and it happens."  
  
"Really," Willow said, her eyes sparkling. "Show me." 


	66. Chapter Sixty-Six - Epilogue

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
The next day was Saturday, so the Scoobies were all able to sleep in. Willow and Tara got up especially late. Since Tara had spent so much of the night before in solid form, she needed to appear semi-transparent for the rest of the day to save on energy.  
  
With nothing else planned for the day, they all eventually ended up at the Magic Box where they talked aimlessly and snacked on junk food. They heard on the news that the great fire from the night before was being blamed once again on chemicals. And that the fire department had successfully put it out. So continued SunnyD-nial.  
  
In the late afternoon, there was a lull in customers in the shop. So, Xander thought it was a good time to make his little announcement. "Everyone!" he said, rapping on the counter for quiet. "Anya and I have something to say." He took her hand in his and continued, "We're getting married next Saturday night. And of course we want all of you to come . . . That means you too Zachary. This is going to be a much smaller affair. In fact, you're the only guests. My family gave us such a hard time over canceling the last date, we're just going to tell them we eloped. Anya figures she'll tell her vengeance pals pretty much the same thing."  
  
"And," Anya said excitedly, "Xander's agreed to let me be a vengeance demon a little while longer. I'd like to try and bring the business more into the twenty-first century."  
  
Giles's couldn't hold back the look of surprise. Was this going to be good or bad, he wondered. And how would the Watcher's Council take this piece of news? He had a feeling they'd be sending him out on a lot of trips to the U.S. to keep a handle on things.  
  
"Anyway," Xander said, "the wedding and the reception will be held here in the Magic Box. And Tara . . . you will have to promise to appear in solid form only, so you don't frighten the officiator."  
  
"No problem," Tara said with a smile. At that point, she was floating in a sitting position (without a chair) next to Willow.  
  
"I'm sure we'd all like to chip in a little something for the reception," Giles offered.  
  
"Won't turn it down," Xander said. "Money is a little tighter than it was."  
  
"Yes," Tara said, "because of me. I didn't thank you guys yet for paying for my funeral."  
  
"Please don't!" Xander said, his hands up. "It's just too weird."  
  
Willow came running up to Anya and Xander, followed by a floating Tara. A wedding was just the kind of occasion they needed after everything that had happened.  
  
"I'll provide the flowers," Willow said. "What kind do you want? Am I still best man?"  
  
"Absolutely," Xander said.  
  
"And you can wear whatever you want," Anya said. "Just so long as it's nice. I've already got my wedding gown, so I'm going to wear that."  
  
While the four of them were in a huddle over their plans, Giles pulled Buffy aside. "You know," he said, "I really can't stay here past next weekend. If I leave then, are you going to be all right?"  
  
Buffy looked at her friends. Spike was debating something with Dawn and Zachary. And the other group was still talking wedding. For the first time in a long time she felt confident of the future. "Yeah, I'm gonna be fine," she said.  
  
Then to prove it, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Spike's waist, knocking him slightly off balance. "Are you picking on these kids over here?" she asked lightly. "Do you guys need me to get rid of the evil undead?"  
  
"You just try," Spike said. And they started into a playful tussle.  
  
Dawn leaned into Zachary and whispered, "They act like such children sometimes."  
  
  
  
THE END 


End file.
